Susan Rice won't be testifying in a judiciary subcommittee hearing on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, CNN reports.
Rice, President Barack Obama's former national security adviser, declined a request from Sen. Lindsey Graham to participate in the hearing, scheduled for May 10.
"Senator (Sheldon) Whitehouse has informed us by letter that he did not agree to Chairman Graham's invitation to Ambassador Rice, a significant departure from the bipartisan invitations extended to other witnesses," Rice's lawyer, Kathryn Ruemmler, wrote to Graham. "Under these circumstances, Ambassador Rice respectfully declines Senator Graham's invitation to testify."
Rice was initially prepared to accept Graham's invitation but changed her mind when Whitehouse told her the invite was extended without his insight.
"I don't believe that Dr. Rice's participation is germane to the topic of this hearing, and I believe her presence would be a distraction from the critical issues at hand. I fully support her decision not to testify,” Whitehouse told CNN.
Rice was accused by the Trump administration of unmasking the identities of Trump's campaign team members mentioned in communications intercepted by security agencies for political purposes.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.