A guide to every Russia investigation happening right now
The Justice Department and several House and Senate committees continue to widen the scope of their investigations as new information surfaces. Here’s when they began their investigations, and what they’ve said they are investigating so far:
What each group is investigating:
Russian meddling in the 2016 election
Ties between Trump associates and Russian officials
Who is leaking classified information
Other inquiries
The Justice Department
The department was in charge of the FBI's criminal investigation into Russia, which was led by James Comey until he was fired by President Trump. Robert Mueller now leads the investigation.
Key players
Jeff Sessions
Attorney general and head of the Justice Department. He recused himself from the department's investigation into Russia on March 2 because of his close ties to the Trump campaign.
Rod Rosenstein
Deputy attorney general leads the Justice Department's investigation since Sessions' recusal.
Robert S. Mueller III
The Justice Department's special counsel was appointed by Rosenstein on May 17. Mueller was the former FBI director for Presidents George W. Bush and Obama.
James B. Comey
Former FBI director led the Justice Department's investigation until Trump fired him on May 9.
When did the investigation start?
What are they investigating?
○ Russian meddling in the 2016 election
○ Potential ties between Trump associates and Russian officials
○ Possible obstruction of justice by President Trump and financial crimes among Trump associates, according to the Washington Post
What a special counsel can do
- Conduct criminal investigations
- Hire staff from outside the Justice Department
- Conduct interviews, access classified information and launch investigations outside of the public eye
- Prosecute government officials found to have committed crimes
What special counsel can't do
- Impeach the President
Pros of a special counsel
Under the authority of Rosenstein, Mueller will have a greater degree of autonomy to conduct investigations and prosecutions than congressional committees, which often are partisan.
Cons of a special counsel
Mueller still answers to Rosenstein, who in turn answers to the president. This means Trump has the authority to fire the special counsel for any reason if he doesn’t like the way the investigation is going. However, such a move is highly unlikely because of the political ramifications for Trump, who faced intense criticism when he fired FBI Director James Comey.
Congress
Congress can launch its own investigations through various committees and hearings. Unlike the Justice Department, Congress cannot criminally prosecute anyone.
A handful of committees in the House and Senate can launch their own investigations. Four have already done so. Each committee has the ability to decide what to pursue and set the scope of their investigation:
Actively investigatingCould possibly launch investigation
| HOUSE COMMITEES | SENATE COMMITTEES |
|---|---|
| Agriculture | Aging |
| Appropriations | Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry |
| Armed Services | Appropriations |
| Budget | Armed Services |
| Education and the Workforce | Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs |
| Energy and Commerce | Budget |
| Ethics | Commerce, Science, and Transportation |
| Financial Services | Energy and Natural Resources |
| Foreign Affairs | Environment and Public Works |
| Homeland Security | Ethics |
| House Administration | Finance |
| Intelligence | Foreign Relations |
| Judiciary | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions |
| Natural Resources | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs |
| Oversight and Government Reform | Indian Affairs |
| Rules | Intelligence |
| Science, Space, and Technology | Judiciary (subcommittee on crime and terrorism) |
| Small Business | Rules and Administration |
| Transportation and Infrastructure | Small Business and Entrepreneurship |
| Veterans' Affairs | Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control |
| Ways and Means | Veterans' Affairs |
Key players
Sen. Charles E. Grassley
Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee
Sen. Dianne Feinstein
Ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee
Sen. Richard M. Burr
Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee
Sen. Mark R. Warner
Ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee
Rep. Jason Chaffetz
Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
Rep. Elijah E. Cummings
Ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
Rep. Devin Nunes
Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, who stepped away from leading the investigation amid allegations of improperly handling classified information.
Rep. Adam B. Schiff
Ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee
What Congress can do
- Interview people of interest and invite them to testify
- Subpoena documents or witnesses
- Schedule closed and open hearings
- Bring and vote on impeachment charges (requires a majority vote in the House and two-thirds vote in the Senate)
What Congress can't do
- Bring criminal charges
Pros of a congressional investigation
Ongoing congressional investigations are often more public than those done by the Justice Department.
Cons of a congressional investigation
Congressional hearings are inherently political. Republicans are in the majority in the House and Senate, which means they control the agenda of each committee, setting the course on everything from hearing schedules to witnesses called.
Investigations taking place in both the Senate and House:
Senate Intelligence Committee
When did the investigation start?
What are they investigating?
○ Russian meddling in the 2016 election
○ Former national security advisor Michael T.Flynn's ties with Russian officials
○ Ties between Trump associates and Russian officials
○ Who is leaking classified information
○ Reports that Trump allegedly disclosed classified information to Russian officials
○ The firing of FBI Director James Comey
○ The existence of any Comey memos or Trump tapes relating to the FBI’s investigation of Trump’s associates and Russia, or the Clinton email investigation
○ Any collusion between Atty. Gen. Sessions and Russians during the election
Who's on the committee?
Majority members (Republicans)
Richard M. Burr, chairman (N.C.)
Jim Risch (Idaho)
Marco Rubio (Fla.)
Susan Collins (Maine)
Roy Blunt (Miss.)
James Lankford (Okla.)
Tom Cotton (Ark.)
John Cornyn (Texas)
Minority members (Democrats)
Mark Warner, Vice Chairman (Va.)
Dianne Feinstein (Calif.)
Ron Wyden (Ore.)
Martin Heinrich (N.M.)
Angus King* (Maine)
Joe Manchin (West Va.)
Kamala Harris (Calif.)
Senate Judiciary subcommittee on crime and terrorism
When did the investigation start?
What are they investigating?
○ Russian meddling in the 2016 election
○ Former national security adviser Michael Flynn's ties with Russian officials
○ The Justice Department's ongoing investigation of Flynn
○ Who is leaking classified information
○ How to prevent and deter foreign interference on U.S. elections
○ The existence of any Comey memos or Trump tapes relating to the FBI’s investigation of Trump’s associates and Russia, or the Clinton email investigation
Who's on the committee?
Majority members (Republicans)
Lindsey Graham, chairman (S.C.)
John Cornyn (Texas)
Ted Cruz (Texas)
Ben Sasse (Neb.)
John Kennedy (La.)
Minority members (Democrats)
Sheldon Whitehouse, ranking member (R.I.)
Dick Durbin (Ill.)
Amy Klobuchar (Minn.)
Christopher Coons (Del.)
House Intelligence Committee
When did the investigation start?
What are they investigating?
○ Russian meddling in the 2016 election
○ Russian media's attempts to spread fake news during the 2016 election
○ The U.S. government's response to Russia's interference in the election
○ Former national security advisor Michael Flynn's ties with Russian officials
○ Broader ties between Trump associates and Russian officials
○ Who is leaking classified information
Who's on the committee?
Majority members (Republicans)
Devin Nunes, chairman (Calif.)
Mike K. Conaway (Texas)
Peter T. King (N.Y.)
Frank A. LoBiondo (N.J.)
Tom Rooney (Fla.)
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Fla.)
Michael R. Turner (Ohio)
Brad Wenstrup (Ohio)
Chris Stewart (Utah)
Rick Crawford (Ark.)
Trey Gowdy (S.C.)
Elise Stefanik (N.Y.)
Will Hurd (Texas)
Minority members (Democrats)
Adam B. Schiff, ranking member (Calif.)
Jim Himes (Conn.)
Terri Sewell (Ala.)
Andre Carson (Ind.)
Jackie Speier (Calif.)
Mike Quigley (Ill.)
Eric Swalwell (Iowa)
Joaquin Castro (Texas)
Denny Heck (Wash.)
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
When did the investigation start?
What are they investigating?
○ Former national security advisor Flynn's ties with Russian officials, including his failure to disclose payments he received from foreign governments before being appointed national security advisor
○ The existence of any Comey memos or Trump tapes relating to the FBI’s investigation of Trump’s associates and Russia, or the Clinton email investigation
○ Who is leaking classified information
Who's on the committee?
Majority members (Republicans)
Jason Chaffetz, chairman (Utah)
John J. Duncan (Tenn.)
Darrell Issa (Calif.)
Jim Jordan (Ohio)
Mark Sanford (S.C.)
Justin Amash (Mich.)
Paul Gosar (Ariz.)
Scott Desjarlais (Tenn.)
Trey Gowdy (S.C.)
Blake Farenthold (Texas)
Virginia Foxx (N.C.)
Thomas Massie (Ky.)
Mark Meadows (N.C.)
Ron Desantis (Fla.
Dennis A. Ross (Fla.)
Mark Walker (N.C.)
Rod Blum (Iowa)
Jody Hice (Ga.)
Steve Russell (Okla.)
Glenn Grothman (Wis.)
Will Hurd (Texas)
Gary Palmer (Ala.)
James Comer (Ky.)
Paul Mitchell (Miss.)
Minority members (Democrats)
Elijah E. Cummings, ranking member (Md.)
Carolyn B. Maloney (N.Y.)
Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC)
William Lacy Clay (Miss.)
Stephen F. Lynch (Mass.)
Jim Cooper (Tenn.)
Gerald E. Connolly (Va.)
Robin Kelly (Ill.)
Brenda Lawrence (Miss.)
Bonnie Watson Coleman (N.J.)
Stacey Plaskett (Virgin Islands)
Val Demings (Fla.)
Raja Krishnamoorthi (Ill.)
Jamie Raskin (Md.)
Peter Welch (Vt.)
Matt Cartwright (Pa.)
Mark Desaulnier (Calif)
John Sarbanes (Md.)
Source: Times reporting
Photos: AP Photography, EPA
UPDATES:
June 14, 2017 3:35 p.m.: This article was updated to include news of special counsel's investigation into Trump for possible obstruction of justice.
This article was originally published on May 30, 2017.