Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R) sent a letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary and former chief of staff to President Obama, Denis McDonough, to gain more information surrounding his potential involvement with the FBI’s surveillance on then-candidate Donald Trump in an attempt to uncover evidence regarding potential collusion with Russia.
Blackburn’s letter follows up on Senator Blackburn’s questioning in a May 17th Veterans Affairs Committee hearing, in which Secretary McDonough “forgot” his role in the FBI Crossfire Hurricane investigation that targeted the Trump campaign.
Sen. Blackburn’s letter reads:
Dear Secretary McDonough, I am writing to follow up on our exchange during Senate Veterans Affairs’ Committee’s May 17th hearing to review the Department’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget.
Specifically, I am inquiring about your involvement in a meeting on July 31, 2016, regarding the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Crossfire Hurricane investigation.
According to then-FBI Director Jim Comey, you attended this meeting with then-National Security Advisor Susan Rice, then-Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper, then-CIA Director John Brennan, and then-Director of the National Security Agency Michael Rogers. Congress has a legitimate interest in obtaining information regarding the discussions that took place to ensure accountability and fully understand the Obama Administration’s actions to initiate a criminal investigation into a political opponent’s campaign based on meritless claims from disreputable sources, including personnel from Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
Specifically, we kindly request your response to the following questions by June 15, 2023:
- Were any orders or directives given to FBI officials during this meeting?
- Why was President Obama briefed on the Crossfire Hurricane investigation?
- What other meetings were you involved in about the Crossfire Hurricane investigation with or without President Obama?
- Were there any questions regarding the legal concerns of the Obama White House being involved in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation?
Since 2004, O’Hern has worked with political campaigns in roles ranging from major projects involving nationwide digital marketing for U.S. Presidential candidates, U.S. Congressmen, state governors, and state representatives. O’Hern’s journalism background includes news reporting and editing for various organizations and news publications in Alabama and Florida since 2002. O’Hern graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, Ala with a degree in journalism and a minor in political science.