A Republican senator said Wednesday she is open to requesting President Donald Trump's tax returns as part of the Senate Intelligence Committees’ probe into Russia’s alleged interfering in the 2016 presidential elections, The Washington Post reported.
On Maine Public Radio's "Maine Calling" show, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said the committee could subpoena Trump's tax returns if it would help in the fact-finding process.
"I don't know whether we will need to do that, if it's necessary to get to the answers, then I suspect that we would," she said. "The initial decision would be made by the chairman and the vice chairman.
"My hope is that we'll have a lot of voluntary cooperation, and keep in mind that in some ways this is a counterintelligence operation, in many ways, and that's what our committee specializes in."
Congressional Democrats have pressed for Trump to release his returns for some time now, with some lawmakers saying the documents could provide important insight into whether the president has business ties to Russia.
"There doesn't seem to be any normal course of international relations explanation" for Trump's outlook on Russia, Sen. Chris Murphy said last week on MSNBC.
"And that explanation is either that the Russians have something on Trump, or that there are financial ties that are requiring Trump to behave this way or perhaps the Russians helped him in the election and this is sort of a quid pro quo."
Reports recently surfaced Trump's associates had "repeated contacts" with Russian intelligence agents during the campaign. The resignation of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn following reports he discussed sanctions with Russia's ambassador to the United States will also be queried by the committee – Collins said many members will formally request Flynn testify.
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