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Posted On: 05/14/2020 1:32:13 PM
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Richard Burr to step down as Intelligence Committee chairman
Last edited Thu May 14, 2020, 01:03 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: CNN
Washington (CNN)Republican Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina is stepping aside as chairman of the influential Senate Intelligence Committee while he's under investigation for stock trades he made ahead of the market downturn sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement Thursday that Burr "contacted me this morning to inform me of his decision to step aside as Chairman of the Intelligence Committee during the pendency of the investigation."
He said Burr's resignation as chairman will be effective at the end of the day on Friday.
Burr's decision to step aside as chairman is a stunning development for the North Carolina Republican, who has led the Senate Intelligence Committee through its three-year investigation into Russian election interference that is nearing its completion.
Shortly after McConnell's announcement, Burr told reporters he is resigning as intelligence chair because "this is a distraction to the hard work of the committee and the members and I think the security of the country is too important to have any distractions." Burr also said he has been cooperating with investigators "since the beginning" and will let the investigation play out.
He stepped down after the FBI served his lawyer with a search warrant and Burr surrendered his phone Wednesday, a senior Justice Department official told CNN. The use of the search warrant had been signed off at the highest levels of the Justice Department, as is protocol, the official said. The Los Angeles Times first reported the warrant.
It's not immediately clear who will take over as chairman of the committee. Committee members Sens. Jim Risch of Idaho, Marco Rubio of Florida and Susan Collins of Maine are next in line in seniority, though all currently lead other committees.
Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/14/politics/r...index.html
Last edited Thu May 14, 2020, 01:03 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: CNN
Washington (CNN)Republican Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina is stepping aside as chairman of the influential Senate Intelligence Committee while he's under investigation for stock trades he made ahead of the market downturn sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement Thursday that Burr "contacted me this morning to inform me of his decision to step aside as Chairman of the Intelligence Committee during the pendency of the investigation."
He said Burr's resignation as chairman will be effective at the end of the day on Friday.
Burr's decision to step aside as chairman is a stunning development for the North Carolina Republican, who has led the Senate Intelligence Committee through its three-year investigation into Russian election interference that is nearing its completion.
Shortly after McConnell's announcement, Burr told reporters he is resigning as intelligence chair because "this is a distraction to the hard work of the committee and the members and I think the security of the country is too important to have any distractions." Burr also said he has been cooperating with investigators "since the beginning" and will let the investigation play out.
He stepped down after the FBI served his lawyer with a search warrant and Burr surrendered his phone Wednesday, a senior Justice Department official told CNN. The use of the search warrant had been signed off at the highest levels of the Justice Department, as is protocol, the official said. The Los Angeles Times first reported the warrant.
It's not immediately clear who will take over as chairman of the committee. Committee members Sens. Jim Risch of Idaho, Marco Rubio of Florida and Susan Collins of Maine are next in line in seniority, though all currently lead other committees.
Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/14/politics/r...index.html
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