Jerrold Nadler:​ GOP Trying To 'Bury' Effort To Review Trump Ties With Russia

NEW YORK, NY — U.S. Congressman Jerrold Nadler is accusing House Republicans of trying to "bury" debate on a resolution that would unearth information about the Trump administration's possible ties to Russia.

Nadler faulted Republicans for scheduling debate on the resolution for Tuesday, the same day as President Donald Trump's first address to a joint session of Congress. If passed, the "resolution of inquiry" would require the U.S. Department of Justice to hand over to Congress any intelligence on Trump's business ties or his campaign's contact with Russia. The resolution will be reviewed by the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

Nadler called the move an effort to "bury" the committee's debate amid media coverage of the president's address.

"I believe that the public sees this 'tactical scheduling' as an act of cowardice," Nadler said in a statement on Friday. "I predict that any attempt to curtail debate or limit media coverage of our markup will only backfire. As they say, the eyes of the nation will surely be upon them."

Nadler, a Democrat who represents the state's tenth congressional district including neighborhoods in Manhattan and the Brooklyn neighborhood of Kensington, described the resolution as a "simple request for information."

The somewhat obscure legislative tool would require the Department of Justice to hand over any documents related to "any criminal or counterintelligence investigation targeting" of Trump. The House Judiciary Committee will hold what's known as a "markup" of the resolution on Tuesday, during which committee members will vote on the resolution.

Lead image via NASA.