Do Republicans Care About Obamagate? After Trump Pressure, Mitch McConnell Says He Supports Subpoenas

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell indicated Tuesday he would back President Trump’s effort to gin up allegations against former President Barack Obama. McConnell said he would schedule a vote June 4 on wide-ranging subpoena power for the Senate Judiciary Committee to open an investigation.

The comments came a day after Attorney General William Barr said he doesn’t expect any criminal investigation against Obama or former Vice President Joe Biden stemming from the inquiry into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election.

“Senate Republicans are taking steps to issue new subpoenas to a wide variety of Obama administration officials,” McConnell said on the Senate floor, adding: “The American people deserve answers about how such abuses could happen. And we intend to get those answers.”

For more than a week, Trump has been tweeting about unspecified illegal actions committed by the Obama administration, punctuated by “Obamagate.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the attention Republicans are giving to “concocted conspiracy” theories and efforts to rewrite the history of Russian interference “to match the fantasy in President Trump’s head.”

“What does Leader McConnell devote most of his floor remarks to today? That wild conspiracy theory aimed at somehow smearing the fine reputation that President Obama has well deserved,” Schumer said.

He called it a gross misuse of the power of the majority.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Monday he would open an investigation into the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Graham is seeking testimony from dozens of officials to examine the decisions that led to surveillance of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.

“Mitch, I love you, but this is 100% true. Time is running out. Get tough and move quickly, or it will be too late,” Trump tweeted during the weekend.

In his remarks, McConnell accused the Obama administration of using the intelligence court to “snoop” on the Trump campaign. Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz concluded there were 17 omissions and inaccuracies in warrants used to get the surveillance approved.