WASHINGTON _ House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Friday called for an investigation into any ties Donald Trump has with Russia and whether the Kremlin has any compromising information on the president elect.
"We want our agencies of government to investigate what those connections are and hopefully resolve it in our favor," the California Democrat told reporters at her weekly news briefing.
Pelosi suggested that the incoming Trump administration has been especially kind to the Russian President Vladimir Putin and his government and questioned what the Russians have that increases their leverage over them.
"There is a great deal of evidence to say that this is an issue that is great deal of interest to the American people," she said.
Pelosi also pointed to Russia's actions during the presidential campaign as evidence of an agenda.
"Putin ordered the operation to denigrate Hillary Clinton," she said, noting that Putin had a vendetta against the former secretary of state because of her effectiveness in promoting democracy. "The operation sought to help Donald Trump."
In addition to an investigation into Trump's ties with Russia, Pelosi expressed support for the investigation the Department of Justice inspector general announced Thursday it was launching into actions the department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations took in advance of the presidential election.
That investigation comes at the request of congressional chairmen and ranking members, including Oversight ranking member Elijah Cummings and Judiciary Committee ranking member John Conyers, Pelosi confirmed.
Pelosi said she was particularly concerned that FBI Director James Comey saying in October that he wouldn't sign a consensus document in October revealing Russian efforts to help Trump win the election because of how close it was to the election but that Comey did not use the same rationale in regard to a new batch of Clinton emails that turned out to be inconsequential.
"Truth is always our best friend. It sets us free," she said. "Let's find out how they thought it was a good idea to make the judgments they did."
