The lead Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee wants to interview the USDA’s Sam Clovis, a co-chair of the Trump presidential campaign, about proposals that Trump representatives meet Russian government officials during the 2016 campaign. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein also requested that Clovis provide a wide range of documents, if he has them, on Russia, revisions of Republican platform language on Russia, and efforts to obtain hacked emails from the Clinton presidential campaign.
Clovis withdrew his nomination for USDA chief scientist and undersecretary for research at the start of this month but retained his position as the senior White House adviser at the USDA. Clovis has been the chief political liaison at the USDA since President Trump took office in January. Court documents show that Clovis encouraged a foreign policy adviser to the campaign to make an off-the-record trip to Russia to meet government officials. The trip never occurred.
In a release, Feinstein’s office said letters were sent to Clovis and three other men “requesting information related to the Russia investigation. Additional requests are expected to be sent in the coming weeks.” The Judiciary Committee is among congressional bodies looking into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.