Under the Obama administration, US intelligence agencies said Russia interfered in the election with the goal of electing Trump. Trump has acknowledged that Russia hacked Democratic emails but denies it was to help him win.
The House and Senate intelligence committees are already examining Russian interference in the election. The Senate Armed Services Committee is also investigating. But the congressional probes are ultimately in the hands of the Republican committee chairmen, and the standing committees already have agendas full with legislation and other issues. This has prompted Democrats and other groups to push for an independent investigation. Republicans say the three congressional reviews already underway are enough.
