Democrats Push for Vote on Independent Commission to Investigate Trump, Russia

WASHINGTON -- As lawmakers reel from the latest wave of news out of the White House, Democratic leaders are calling on Republicans to back legislation that would create an independent commission to investigate President Donald Trump’s ties with Russia.In a long-shot bid, they're now circulating a discharge petition that would require the majority of House members' support and, if successful, would force a House vote on the bill without first going through the committee process.On Wednesday, Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform committee, and others said the commission is critical in the wake of repeated Russia-related scandals out of the White House. “We need to restore credibility, accountability, transparency by passing this legislation to create a truly independent commission,” Cummings said. “The American people deserve answers.”The news comes as lawmakers grapple with multiple bombshell stories this week related to Trump’s disclosure of classified information to Russian officials and whether he asked former FBI director James Comey to shut down an investigation into his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Trump would later abruptly fire Comey -- a move that earned mixed reviews from Republicans and dismay from Democrats.  Continue reading...