Four GOP Senators Affirm Support for Subpoenas in Crossfire Hurricane Review

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) in Washington on Aug. 4, 2020. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Four Republican senators on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee support issuing subpoenas for Obama administration officials who were involved in investigating Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

A spokeswoman for Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said in an email on Thursday to The Epoch Times: “Senator Scott supports the investigation and wants to get all the facts out about exactly what happened.”

A spokeswoman for Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) told The Epoch Times that the senator also supports the efforts to get to the bottom of what happened.

She noted in an email that the committee already authorized Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) to issue subpoenas to a number of Obama-era officials, including former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan.

“The subpoena authorization was approved by the committee (and was supported by Senator Romney) back in June,” the spokeswoman said.

A spokesperson for Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told The Epoch Times that Paul still supports the subpoena power for Johnson.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) walks through Statuary Hall to the House Chamber for President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address in the Capitol in Washington on Feb. 4, 2020. Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times

And Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said in a statement on Wednesday: “I voted FOR the investigation & subpoenas on June 4 to get the facts.”

Because Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, they chair each committee and have more members on each committee.

In a party-line vote on June 4, the committee authorized Johnson to issue subpoenas for records and testimony regarding the investigation into Trump’s campaign, which was codenamed Crossfire Hurricane, as well as the Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s review of the probe, and the unmasking of people affiliated with the campaign, transition teams, and the Trump administration.

A list (pdf) of people the committee authorized Johnson to subpoena contains 33 names, including a number of high-level Obama-era officials.

Johnson on Wednesday was pressed on why he has not issued subpoenas since gaining the authorization, except for one issued Monday for documents from the FBI.

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) speaks in Washington on Aug. 6, 2020. Toni L. Sandys/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

“Before you interview people, you want the documents so you can ask some intelligent questions. That’s why I finally subpoenaed the FBI to get the documents,” Johnson told radio host Hugh Hewitt. “I don’t do the show trials. I actually have serious lawyers ask the questions in depositions in the Senate,” he added.

Before questioning “a slippery character” like Comey in an effective manner, Johnson emphasized, documents are required. The production of those documents has been slowed by FBI Director Christopher Wray, the existence of a criminal investigation by U.S. Attorney John Durham into the same matters, former special counsel Robert Mueller’s team, the impeachment of Trump, and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the chairman.

“I’m doing everything I can in terms of pushing this thing forward,” he said.

Johnson’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment, nor did the offices of Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.).

An FBI spokeswoman told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that the bureau received the subpoena and “has already been producing documents and information to the Senate Homeland Security Committee, which are directly responsive to this subpoena.”