Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), in an interview with The Hill, said he believes the House Intelligence Committee – of which he is a member – should release all of the transcripts from all of the interviews lawmakers and staff conducted during the Russia investigation.
“There is something that has not been released that I think would be beneficial for the public to see — and that would be all of the transcripts from all of the [House Intelligence Committee] interviews,” Gowdy told The Hill on Wednesday.
“There are no national security implications there,” he added. “There are no sources and methods there.”
Gowdy’s remarks echo calls from House Intelligence Democrats, who have pressed for the release of witness interview transcripts from the committee’s yearlong Russia investigation. The panel’s probe ended earlier this year, with Republicans saying they found no evidence of collusion between Moscow and President Trump’s campaign.
A spokesman for House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) declined to comment on Gowdy's remarks.
Both Democrats and Republicans had supported making the transcripts public, but then the Republicans changed their minds.
Republicans cited concerns that making the interviews public could have long-term consequences on their ability to compel witnesses to testify in future investigations.
“We may not be able to do that, turns out,” Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas), the top Republican leading the investigation, told Bloomberg News in March, shortly before the investigation was brought to a close.
Earlier that month, Conaway had told reporters that he would “absolutely” support releasing the transcripts.
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Schiff indicated to The Hill this week that he plans to reignite a full-blown Russia probe if Democrats win control of the House in November.
While he said his priority would be to investigate allegations of whether Russians laundered money through the Trump Organization, the transcripts could also become another matter for Democrats to pursue.
Gowdy: House Intel panel should release all transcripts from Russia probe (The Hill)