Appearing on MSNBC Wednesday, Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro (Texas) said Wednesday that he has heard evidence that Trump administration members committed crimes during the 2016 presidential election.
During the interview, host Joy Reid asked Castro whether he believed the information he had seen so far in the committee’s investigation of Russian election interference was evidence of a crime. She specifically referenced hearings the committee had with Fusion GPS, the company behind a salacious dossier with information on President Trump.
“Do you believe that you heard evidence of crimes committed by members of this administration?” Reid asked.
“Yes,” Castro responded.
Castro also accused Republicans of not giving the House and Senate investigations enough resources to properly track down leads and make recommendations to avoid future Russian election interference.
“A big concern that I have is that there’s not enough resources, or energy or time that’s been committed to tracking down the leads that have been given to us,” he said.
Fusion GPS, a Washington research firm, was hired first by Republicans during the 2016 GOP primary and later by lawyers representing Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee to research Trump’s alleged ties to Russia.
In November, Fusion GPS’ founder Glenn Simpson testified before the House Intelligence Committee for seven hours over the creation of the dossier. The firm rejected any suggestions that their research spurred the beginning of the Trump-Russia investigation, originally begun by the Justice Department under President Obama.
Claims made in the unverified dossier have gained prominence in recent months as Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia evolves.
Watch Castro’s interview below:
.@JoyAnnReid: "Do you believe that you heard evidence of crimes committed by members of this administration?"
Rep. Joaquin Castro: "Yes." pic.twitter.com/9XktvBHJcV
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) January 4, 2018
