WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today joined senators on both sides of the aisle in backing robust, bipartisan investigations into Russian interference in the U.S. democratic process—through congressional committees and law enforcement probes.

Heitkamp also called on U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to follow U.S. Department of Justice guidance and recuse himself from the law enforcement investigation into Russian influence and interference.

“When American intelligence officials find evidence of Russia undermining our security and meddling in our democratic process, we should all be concerned—and we shouldn’t let politics get in the way of thorough, independent, and transparent investigations,” said Heitkamp. “The attorney general must also recuse himself from the law enforcement investigation into this matter. He’s a lawyer, and he knows the plain language and meaning of the rules dictate that he must recuse himself. We’ll soon find out if he's a lawyer for the people, or a lawyer for the president.

“Russia is an adversary that we need to take seriously and hold accountable through independent investigations. These investigations are about defending ourselves from cyberattacks that our intelligence officials have traced back to Russia, and about making sure we stop any nation that seeks to nefariously influence or interfere in our government. After the congressional committees do their investigations, if it is determined more issues need to be looked into, then our legislation supporting an independent commission could be a next step. The American people deserve answers so they can judge Russia’s interference for themselves, and thorough investigations are the best way to get those answers.”

Both Republican and Democratic senators alike have recognized the need to look into Russia’s influence in our electoral process through Congressional oversight.

This month, Heitkamp joined 18 other senators in calling for a temporary select commission to investigate official and unofficial Russian interference in U.S. national security and the electoral process—pressure that helped lead to an investigation the U.S. Senate Committee on Intelligence will be undertaking. Other Senate committees may also conduct investigations into the issue.

Because so many U.S. Senate committees have jurisdiction over the issue—including Intelligence, Foreign Relations, Armed Services, and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs—the temporary select commission Heitkamp supports could help provide a comprehensive review to guarantee U.S. security.