On Wednesday, Barack Obama’s National Security Advisor announced she will not testify before a Senate committee about Russia’s alleged involvement during the 2016 presidential election.
Rice has been the subject of conversation in recent weeks, after it was revealed she unmasked Michael Flynn’s name following reports that the Obama administration had been spying on him.
Rice’s attorney, Kathryn Reummler, said the Obama official refused to testify because the request came solely from a Republican member of the committee, Senator Lindsey Graham, and the lack of a bipartisan request was “a significant departure from the bipartisan invitations extended to other witnesses.”
Rice’s refusal to testify was met with frustration from Republicans, including Senator Chuck Grassley, who said he was “deeply disappointed,” adding that “Declining to attend because you didn’t get an invite from a member of your party is a poor excuse and makes it appear as though she’s hiding something. No investigation will be complete until her role is understood.”
Now President Trump is getting in on the action, slamming Susan Rice’s decision to hide:
Susan Rice, the former National Security Advisor to President Obama, is refusing to testify before a Senate Subcommittee next week on…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 4, 2017
…allegations of unmasking Trump transition officials. Not good!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 4, 2017
Back in April, the president suggested that Ms. Rice may have committed a crime by unmasking Michael Flynn, and her refusal to answer questions about that decision raises serious questions about her integrity.
If Ms. Rice has nothing to hide then she should be eager to testify in order to set the record straight about the unmasking scandal. The longer she remains in hiding, the more doubts she will sow in the eyes of the American people that she was engaged in something nefarious.
Rice’s lawyer did say that her client would help Congress in its Russia probe, but only in a “classified session” which isn’t going to help the speculation over her actions to expand. While Rice has so far denied being the source of the leaking of Flynn’s name, one has to know why she even felt the need to unmask Flynn’s name, a question that still has not been answered.
Do you believe that Ms. Rice did commit a crime when she unmasked Michael Flynn’s name? Share your thoughts below!