Former national security adviser Susan Rice has declined to appear before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on Russian meddling in the presidential election, CNN reported Wednesday.
Her decision stemmed from the disagreement between Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who extended the decision to come before his panel on crime and terrorism, and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) over whether Rice’s appearance was necessary.
“Senator Whitehouse has informed us by letter that he did not agree to Chairman Graham’s invitation to Ambassador Rice, a significant departure from the bipartisan invitations extended to other witnesses,” Rice’s lawyer, Kathryn Ruemmler, wrote Graham in a letter obtained by CNN. “Under these circumstances, Ambassador Rice respectfully declines Senator Graham’s invitation to testify.”
Ruemmler added that Rice was “prepared to assist Congressional inquiries into Russian election interference because of the important national interests at stake, provided they are conducted in a bipartisan manner, and, as appropriate, in classified session.”
Graham told CNN earlier this week that he wanted to question Rice in order to determine if the Obama administration “tried to politicize intelligence.”
That allegation stems from reports that Rice had requested the unmasking of Trump officials who appeared in intelligence reports because they were swept up in routine surveillance of foreign nationals.
National security experts have said that if Rice made those requests, they would be germane to her work as a national security adviser trying to determine the extent of Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle who have viewed classified documents pertaining to the Russia investigation say they have yet to see evidence that Rice did anything unusual.
Former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper will testify Monday.
