Pete Hoekstra, a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said a significant subplot in the Russia story is why the Obama administration did not act when it detected Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.
"The Obama administration had somehow got information from inside the Kremlin that said [Russian President Vladimir] Putin was directing this attack against the 2016 elections and … Obama did nothing," Hoekstra told Newsmax's JD Hayworth.
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"I don't care, you know, hey, the tape between the president and [former FBI Director James] Comey, yeah, great, great theater. I want to know why did the Obama administration decide to do absolutely nothing to stop the Russians from their 'potential interference' of the 2016 elections."
Hoekstra also spoke about former national security adviser Susan Rice's upcoming appearance in front of the House Intelligence Committee. The appearance will be part of the committee's Russia probe and will likely center on American citizens getting caught up in government surveillance reports and whether Rice sought to uncover their identities.
"This sounds like a negotiation," Hoekstra said, referencing the fact that the Rice hearing will be closed to the media. "'Hey, you come voluntarily and we'll close the hearing.' It should be more like, 'you come and testify to the committee or we will subpoena you.'"
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