Two Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee called Thursday for Attorney General Pam Bondi to appoint a special counsel to investigate documents alleging a "treasonous conspiracy" by former President Barack Obama's administration to amplify "manufactured intelligence" of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas are pressing Bondi to appoint a special counsel after Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump's director of national intelligence, released extensive sets of declassified documents that she says showed "what was essentially a yearslong coup" and a "treasonous conspiracy" against Trump staged shortly after his 2016 election victory over Hillary Clinton.
"For the good of the country, we urge Attorney General Bondi to appoint a special counsel to investigate the extent to which former President Obama, his staff, and administration officials manipulated the U.S. national security apparatus for a political outcome," Graham and Cornyn said in a joint statement. "As we have supported in the past, appointing an independent special counsel would do the country a tremendous service in this case.
"With every piece of information that gets released, it becomes more evident that the entire Russia collusion hoax was created by the Obama Administration to subvert the will of the American people. Democrats and the liberal media have been out to get President Trump since 2016. There must be an immediate investigation of what we believe to be an unprecedented and clear abuse of power by a U.S. presidential administration."
A Department of Justice spokesperson declined to comment in an email to Newsmax. The DOJ on Wednesday announced it was forming a strike force to assess the evidence publicized by Gabbard and investigate any potential legal steps that might stem from her disclosures. The department said it takes "alleged weaponization of the intelligence community with the utmost seriousness."
"The Department of Justice is proud to work with my friend Director Gabbard, and we are grateful for her partnership in delivering accountability for the American people," Bondi said in a statement. "We will investigate these troubling disclosures fully and leave no stone unturned to deliver justice."
Newsmax has reached out to Graham and Cornyn for comment on the strike force, which consists of interagency teams made up of investigators and prosecutors that focus on allegedly fraudulent activities, according to the Department of Justice.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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