Former Obama security adviser declines invite to testify
WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama’s national security adviser, Susan Rice, on Wednesday declined an invitation to testify at an upcoming Senate hearing on Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
Rice’s lawyer notified the senators chairing the hearing of her decision not to attend in a letter. Two other former Obama administration officials are scheduled to testify before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Monday. The subcommittee is one of three congressional panels investigating Russia’s role in the 2016 election.
Rice’s refusal to testify is the latest twist in the congressional investigations into possible links between Russia and the Trump campaign and the ongoing debate over whether the probes are truly independent and bipartisan. Rice was invited to testify only by the Republican chairman of the subcommittee, and not by the top Democrat on the panel, her lawyer said.
CNN first reported Rice’s decision.