Graham and Cornyn urge special counsel for declassified Russia intel

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FIRST ON THE SCENE: Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas have requested Attorney General Pam Bondi to appoint a special counsel to investigate newly declassified information regarding the Obama administration’s intelligence assessments on Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The call for a special counsel from Graham and Cornyn comes in the wake of the Department of Justice setting up a “strike force” to probe the declassified evidence revealed by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

Graham and Cornyn, both key members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, emphasized the importance of special counsels operating independently to oversee politically sensitive cases.

“Appointing an independent special counsel would greatly benefit the country in this situation,” Graham and Cornyn stated.

Gabbard’s declassified intelligence disclosed the Obama administration’s belief that Russia aimed to assist President Donald Trump in the 2016 election. Gabbard alleged that the Obama administration pushed a false narrative of Russian interference to benefit Trump, which she claimed was untrue.

Graham, who previously chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee, led an investigation into the FBI’s probe of alleged Trump-Russia collusion and released documents suggesting a weak basis for the inquiry.

“As more information is released, it becomes increasingly clear that the Russia collusion hoax was a creation of the Obama administration to undermine the will of the American people,” Graham and Cornyn asserted.

The senators’ comments came after Trump accused former President Obama of treason and as the DOJ initiated criminal investigations into ex-CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey.

Critics argue that Gabbard’s claims contradict past congressional reviews, some of which were led by Republicans. In response to the allegations against him, Obama dismissed them as outrageous and a distraction.

Fox News contacted the DOJ for a response to the special counsel request.

This story is developing. Stay tuned for updates.