Trump investigation: House intelligence committee to probe Russia links and foreign financial interests

Announcement comes day after president warned against 'ridiculous partisan investigations'

Donald Trump’s foreign financial links and possible connections to Russia will be investigated by the House intelligence committee, its new chairman Adam Schiff has announced.

The Democratic congressman said on Wednesday lawmakers would probe the “scope and scale” of Moscow’s intervention in the election, the “extent of any links and/or coordination” between Russians and Trump associates, whether foreign actors have sought leverage over Mr Trump or his associates, and if anyone has sought to obstruct any of the relevant investigations.

The announcement came just a day after Mr Trump darkly warned there could only be “peace and legislation” if Congress dropped “ridiculous partisan investigations”.

Mr Schiff dismissed those comments, deciding instead to move ahead with the aggressive oversight House Democrats have promised now they are in the majority.

“We’re going to do our jobs and the president needs to do his,” Mr Schiff said. “Our job involves making sure that the policy of the United States is being driven by the national interest, not by any financial entanglement, financial leverage or other form of compromise.”

On Thursday morning, Mr Trump responded angrily on Twitter, writing: "So now Congressman Adam Schiff announces, after having found zero Russian Collusion, that he is going to be looking at every aspect of my life, both financial and personal, even though there is no reason to be doing so.

"Never happened before! Unlimited Presidential Harassment. The Dems and their committees are going 'nuts.'

"The Republicans never did this to President Obama, there would be no time left to run government. I hear other committee heads will do the same thing. Even stealing people who work at White House! A continuation of Witch Hunt!"

Mr Schiff, a Democratic congressman for California, also announced a delay in an upcoming closed-door interview with Mr Trump’s former fixer and personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, “in the interests of the investigation”.

The interview was originally scheduled for Friday. It will now be held on 28 February, Mr Schiff said, the same day Mr Trump is expected to be in talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un over the country’s nuclear capabilities.

Mr Schiff said he could not speak about the reason for the delay. Hours after the meeting was pushed back, a document was filed, and then deleted, under seal in the criminal case against Cohen brought by special counsel Robert Mueller’s office.

The court’s docket did not contain any details about the nature of the document. A later notice said the document had been “incorrectly filed in this case”.

Special counsel spokesman Peter Carr declined comment, as did Lanny Davis, an attorney for Cohen.

The intelligence committee also voted Wednesday to send Mr Mueller the transcripts from the panel’s earlier Russia investigation.

Republicans ended that probe in March, concluding there was no evidence of conspiracy or collusion between Russia and Mr Trump’s presidential campaign. Democrats strongly objected at the time, saying the move was premature.

Since then, both Cohen and Mr Trump’s longtime adviser Roger Stone have been charged with lying to the panel. Cohen pleaded guilty in November to lying to the House and Senate intelligence committees about his role in a Trump business proposal in Moscow.

He acknowledged he misled lawmakers by saying he had abandoned the project in January 2016 when he actually continued pursuing it for months after that.

Mr Stone pleaded not guilty to charges last month that he lied to the House panel about his discussions during the 2016 election about WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy group that released thousands of emails stolen from Democrats.

He is also charged with obstructing the House probe by encouraging one of his associates, New York radio host Randy Credico, to refuse to testify before the House panel in an effort to conceal Mr Stone’s false statements.

Mr Schiff has said Mr Mueller should consider whether additional perjury charges are warranted.

The committee had already voted to release most of the transcripts to the public, but they are still being reviewed by the intelligence community for classified information.

Mr Mueller requested Mr Stone’s interview transcript last year and the panel voted to release it in December. Mr Schiff refused to say whether Mr Mueller had requested other transcripts, but noted the committee had voted to withhold a small number of transcripts from the public and also that some witnesses had been interviewed since then.

The transmission of the transcripts to Mr Mueller, expected immediately, will give him full access to all of the committee’s interviews.

Among the transcripts are interviews with Mr Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr; his son-in-law, Jared Kushner; his longtime spokeswoman, Hope Hicks; and his former bodyguard Keith Schiller.

There are dozens of other transcripts of interviews with former Obama administration officials and Trump associates.

Democrats also opposed a Republican motion at the meeting Wednesday to subpoena several witnesses. Republicans said they were witnesses who Democrats had previously wanted to come before the panel.

A Republican aide said that witness list included FBI and Justice Department officials involved in the Russia investigation and others who could shed more light on research by former British spy Christopher Steele. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because the committee’s business is confidential.

Mr Steele’s research was funded by Democrats and later compiled into an anti-Trump dossier that became public.

Additional reporting by AP