Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, is calling on Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA) to release the testimony of Fusion GPS' cofounder Glenn Simpson.
“In light of the selective leaks of Mr. Simpson’s testimony and the misleading manner in which Fusion GPS’ role has been characterized, I support releasing the transcript," Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, the panel's ranking member, said in a statement through his office on Monday.
"The Majority has released transcripts of Dr. Page and Mr. Prince when it suited their interests, and likewise should make an exception here," Schiff added, referring to Carter Page, an early Trump campaign aide, and Erik Prince, an informal adviser to Trump's transition team.
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the Senate Judiciary Committee's top Democrat, made the decision on January 9th to release the transcript of Simpson's testimony before her committee even though Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) seemed reluctant to do so.
However, according to Business Insider, Rep. Schiff does not have the same authority to act unilaterally. House Intelligence Committee rules require the committee's consent to make testimony public, and in this case, that would require Chairmen Nunes' sign-off and GOP support.
Simpson and Peter Fritsch, another Fusion GPS cofounder, appeared before the committee in October in response to a subpoena, but pleaded the fifth during their interview. Simpson struck a deal with House investigators and returned for a voluntary interview in November that lasted more than seven hours.
Amid his fight for more transparency from Fusion, however, Nunes has given no indication so far that he plans to release the November transcript...
There are signs that the House investigators' line of questioning was more extensive than that of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is another reason why the panel's Democrats and Fusion want the transcript to be made public.
Chairman Nunes consistently has been more interested in investigating Fusion GPS than Russian election interference.
The committee has only issued one subpoena to a financial institution in the year since it opened its investigation into Russia's election interference and potential collusion between Trump's campaign team and Moscow.
The subpoena was to Fusion's bank rather than to Deutsche Bank, which was fined last year over its involvement in a major Russian money-laundering scheme and has been the Trump family's bank of choice for decades.
Full story: Devin Nunes is under mounting pressure to release the transcript of a House Intel interview with Fusion GPS (Business Insider)