The Senate Intelligence Committee met with Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) Tuesday as part of its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Rohrabacher has a long history of being pro-Russia, so much so that Politico nicknamed him 'Putin's favorite congressman" and the Kremlin gave him a code name.
CNN:
Leaving the Senate committee's secure spaces after the closed-door interview, Rohrabacher said he's "an open book" when it comes to Russia.
"They were just trying to detail the different things I've done with the Russians," Rohrabacher said. "I'm the chairman of the subcommittee that is the point person on our relations with Russia over these last five years. I've had a lot of meetings and codels (congressional delegation trips), and they were trying to make sure they understood."
(...)
"It was really a very open, nice meeting," he added. "I've got no worries or anything."
Rohrabacher went to the committee with an attorney. He is expected to appear before the House Intelligence Committee later this week, in which he will likely be questioned by his House colleagues.
Rohrabacher traveled to London in August and met with Wikileaks' Julian Assange, who is holed up at the Ecuadorian embassy there. Once back in D.C., the congressman said he planned to meet with President Trump to relay information from Assange about the DNC hack during the 2016 campaign. Rohrabacher believes the hack was an inside job and Russians were not involved.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller also is interested in Rep. Rohrabacher.
NBC News reported this month [Nov 2017] that Mr. Mueller’s investigators are looking at a 2016 meeting between Mr. Rohrabacher and Mr. Flynn, whose lobbying for foreign powers has come under scrutiny by the special counsel.
Mr. Rohrabacher acknowledged meeting Mr. Flynn twice, once to discuss computer chip technology and once to discuss a plan advanced by Mr. Flynn late last year to build a series of nuclear power plants across the Middle East. He said he did not remember discussing Russia.
“All I remember about that meeting is that they were promoting some kind of an idea about having Gulf State countries invest in building nuclear power plants of some kind, I think,” Mr. Rohrabacher said.
Rohrabacher on Hill testimony: 'I'm an open book' on Russia (CNN)
He’s a Member of Congress. The Kremlin Likes Him So Much It Gave Him a Code Name. (NYT)