U.S. lawmakers push for answers on Trump team's Russia tiesWASHINGTON (Reuters) - A crisis over the relationship between President Donald Trump’s aides and Russia deepened on Wednesday as a growing number of Trump’s fellow Republicans demanded expanded congressional inquiries into the matter. Trump sought to focus attention on what he called criminal intelligence leaks about his ousted national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Trump forced Flynn out on Monday after disclosures he had discussed U.S. sanctions on Russia with the Russian ambassador to the United States before Trump took office, and that he later misled Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations. The drama of Flynn’s departure was the latest in a series of White House missteps and controversies since the Republican president was sworn in on Jan. 20. At a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, Trump said Flynn, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, was a “wonderful man” who had been mistreated by the news media. But Republican Trump critics including Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham voiced fresh consternation. Adding to the pressure were comments by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, who has been a Trump supporter. Corker said the Russia issue was threatening Trump’s agenda on foreign affairs and domestic matters like healthcare and tax policy. He questioned whether the White House was able to stabilize itself and said Flynn should testify before Congress. “Let’s get everything out as quickly as possible on this Russia issue,” Corker told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program. “Maybe there’s a problem that obviously goes much deeper than what we now suspect.” Democrats, doubting Trump’s Justice Department or the Republican-led Congress will pursue the matter vigorously, have demanded an independent investigation of possible illegal communications between Flynn and the Russian government and any efforts by Flynn or other White House officials to conceal wrongdoing. The most powerful Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, said Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a close ally of Trump, must recuse himself from any investigation. The Republican and Democratic leaders of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee asked Sessions and FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday to send the committee documents and provide a briefing on Flynn’s resignation. Citing reports that both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Justice Department were involved in events leading to Flynn’s departure, Senators Chuck Grassley and Dianne Feinstein said they raised “substantial questions” about Flynn’s discussion with Russian officials. Graham called for a broader bipartisan congressional investigation to be conducted by a newly formed special committee rather than existing committees, if it turns out  Trump’s presidential campaign communicated with the Russians. But the top Republicans in the Senate and House of Representatives have insisted the matter be investigated by existing Republican-led committees. The Senate and House Intelligence Committees and a subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary committee have announced they launched investigations into alleged Russian efforts to influence the election through computer hacking. U.S. intelligence agencies previously concluded that Russia hacked and leaked Democratic emails during the presidential campaign as part of efforts to tilt the vote in the Nov. 8 election in Trump’s favor. Congressional inquiries into alleged Russian interference in the U.S. elections are gaining momentum as Capitol Hill investigators press intelligence and law enforcement agencies for access to classified documents.  The FBI and several U.S. intelligence agencies are investigating Russian espionage operations in the United States. They are also looking at contacts in Russia between Russian intelligence officers or others with ties to President Vladimir Putin’s government and people connected to Trump or his campaign. The FBI recently questioned Flynn about his telephone contacts with the Russian ambassador in Washington. People familiar with the agency’s multiple probes said there was no evidence so far of pre-election collusion between Russians and Trump’s campaign, or any evidence of criminal activity by Flynn or anyone else connected to Trump. Some experts expressed concern the White House could curtail or divert probes into Flynn and Russian involvement in the election unless Congress becomes more aggressive by holding hearings and appointing an independent commission or special prosecutor into whether Trump’s team violated federal laws in their contacts with Russia. Intelligence agencies now overseen by Trump may not be ideally suited to the job, they added. “It’s not, at the end of the day, the job of the intelligence community to regulate the White House - and it shouldn’t be,” said Stephen Vladeck, a University of Texas law professor who focuses on constitutional law and national security. ‘VERY UN-AMERICAN’ In Twitter posts on Wednesday, Trump called the reported Russian connection with his campaign team nonsense and said the leaks were the “real scandal.” From early on in his White House bid, Trump said he would like improved relations with Putin, a stance criticized by Democrats and those Republicans concerned about Washington softening its stance after Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and aggression in Syria. Only a few Republican lawmakers have supported even the idea of extending any investigation to cover actions by Trump’s team in the weeks after the election, when Flynn made his calls. Some Republicans, including House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, are calling for investigations into leaks to the news media of conversations between Flynn and Russia’s ambassador in Washington. The Trump administration has offered Flynn’s former job to U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Robert Harward, said two U.S. officials familiar with the matter. It was not immediately clear if Harward, a former deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, had accepted the offer, according to sources. politicsNews
lawmakers push answers trump team russia tieswashington reuters a crisis relationship president donald trump aides russia deepened wednesday growing number trump fellow republicans demanded expanded congressional inquiries matter trump sought focus attention called criminal intelligence leaks ousted national security adviser michael flynn trump forced flynn monday disclosures discussed sanctions russia russian ambassador united states trump took office later misled vice president mike pence conversations the drama flynn departure latest series white house misses controversies since republican president sworn at news conference israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu wednesday trump said flynn retired army lieutenant general wonderful man mistreated news media but republican trump critics including senators john mccain lindsay graham voiced fresh conservation adding pressure comments senate foreign relations committee chairman bob corner trump supporter corner said russia issue threatening trump agenda foreign affairs domestic matters like healthcare tax policy he questioned whether white house able stabilize said flynn testify congress let get everything quickly possible russia issue corner told msnbc morning joe program maybe problem obviously goes much deeper democrats doubting trump justice department congress pursue matter vigorously demanded independent investigation possible illegal communications flynn russian government efforts flynn white house officials conceal wrongdoing the powerful democrat senate chuck scheme said attorney general jeff sessions close ally trump must recuse investigation the republican democratic leaders senate judiciary committee asked sessions fbi director james come wednesday send committee documents provide briefing flynn resignation citing reports federal bureau investigation justice department involved events leading flynn departure senators chuck grasses diane einstein said raised substantial questions flynn discussion russian officials graham called broader bipartisan congressional investigation conducted newly formed special committee rather existing committees turns trump presidential campaign communicated russian but top republicans senate house representatives insisted matter investigated existing committees the senate house intelligence committees subcommittee senate judiciary committee announced launched investigations alleged russian efforts influence election computer hacking intelligence agencies previously concluded russia hacked leaked democratic emails presidential campaign part efforts tilt vote election trump favor congressional inquiries alleged russian interference elections gaining momentum capitol hill investigators press intelligence law enforcement agencies access classified documents the fbi several intelligence agencies investigating russian espionage operations united states they also looking contacts russia russian intelligence officers others ties president vladimir putin government people connected trump campaign the fbi recently questioned flynn telephone contacts russian ambassador washington people familiar agency multiple probes said evidence far collusion russian trump campaign evidence criminal activity flynn anyone else connected trump some experts expressed concern white house could curtail divert probes flynn russian involvement election unless congress becomes aggressive holding hearings appointing independent commission special prosecutor whether trump team violated federal laws contacts russia intelligence agencies overseen trump may ideally suited job added it end day job intelligence community regulate white house said stephen vladeck university texas law professor focuses constitutional law national security very in twitter posts wednesday trump called reported russian connection campaign team nonsense said leaks real from early white house bid trump said would like improved relations putin stance criticized democrats republicans concerned washington shortening stance russia annexation crimea ukraine aggression syria only republican lawmakers supported even idea extending investigation cover actions trump team weeks election flynn made calls some republicans including house intelligence committee chairman devil tunes calling investigations leaks news media conversations flynn russia ambassador washington the trump administration offered flynn former job navy vice admiral robert harvard said two officials familiar matter it immediately clear harvard former deputy commander central command accepted offer according sources politicsnews
Your task is to classify the provided input as real or fake news. Label 0 is meant for fake news, Label 1 is for real news. TEXT: U.S. lawmakers push for answers on Trump team's Russia tiesWASHINGTON (Reuters) - A crisis over the relationship between President Donald Trump’s aides and Russia deepened on Wednesday as a growing number of Trump’s fellow Republicans demanded expanded congressional inquiries into the matter. Trump sought to focus attention on what he called criminal intelligence leaks about his ousted national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Trump forced Flynn out on Monday after disclosures he had discussed U.S. sanctions on Russia with the Russian ambassador to the United States before Trump took office, and that he later misled Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations. The drama of Flynn’s departure was the latest in a series of White House missteps and controversies since the Republican president was sworn in on Jan. 20. At a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, Trump said Flynn, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, was a “wonderful man” who had been mistreated by the news media. But Republican Trump critics including Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham voiced fresh consternation. Adding to the pressure were comments by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, who has been a Trump supporter. Corker said the Russia issue was threatening Trump’s agenda on foreign affairs and domestic matters like healthcare and tax policy. He questioned whether the White House was able to stabilize itself and said Flynn should testify before Congress. “Let’s get everything out as quickly as possible on this Russia issue,” Corker told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program. “Maybe there’s a problem that obviously goes much deeper than what we now suspect.” Democrats, doubting Trump’s Justice Department or the Republican-led Congress will pursue the matter vigorously, have demanded an independent investigation of possible illegal communications between Flynn and the Russian government and any efforts by Flynn or other White House officials to conceal wrongdoing. The most powerful Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, said Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a close ally of Trump, must recuse himself from any investigation. The Republican and Democratic leaders of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee asked Sessions and FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday to send the committee documents and provide a briefing on Flynn’s resignation. Citing reports that both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Justice Department were involved in events leading to Flynn’s departure, Senators Chuck Grassley and Dianne Feinstein said they raised “substantial questions” about Flynn’s discussion with Russian officials. Graham called for a broader bipartisan congressional investigation to be conducted by a newly formed special committee rather than existing committees, if it turns out  Trump’s presidential campaign communicated with the Russians. But the top Republicans in the Senate and House of Representatives have insisted the matter be investigated by existing Republican-led committees. The Senate and House Intelligence Committees and a subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary committee have announced they launched investigations into alleged Russian efforts to influence the election through computer hacking. U.S. intelligence agencies previously concluded that Russia hacked and leaked Democratic emails during the presidential campaign as part of efforts to tilt the vote in the Nov. 8 election in Trump’s favor. Congressional inquiries into alleged Russian interference in the U.S. elections are gaining momentum as Capitol Hill investigators press intelligence and law enforcement agencies for access to classified documents.  The FBI and several U.S. intelligence agencies are investigating Russian espionage operations in the United States. They are also looking at contacts in Russia between Russian intelligence officers or others with ties to President Vladimir Putin’s government and people connected to Trump or his campaign. The FBI recently questioned Flynn about his telephone contacts with the Russian ambassador in Washington. People familiar with the agency’s multiple probes said there was no evidence so far of pre-election collusion between Russians and Trump’s campaign, or any evidence of criminal activity by Flynn or anyone else connected to Trump. Some experts expressed concern the White House could curtail or divert probes into Flynn and Russian involvement in the election unless Congress becomes more aggressive by holding hearings and appointing an independent commission or special prosecutor into whether Trump’s team violated federal laws in their contacts with Russia. Intelligence agencies now overseen by Trump may not be ideally suited to the job, they added. “It’s not, at the end of the day, the job of the intelligence community to regulate the White House - and it shouldn’t be,” said Stephen Vladeck, a University of Texas law professor who focuses on constitutional law and national security. ‘VERY UN-AMERICAN’ In Twitter posts on Wednesday, Trump called the reported Russian connection with his campaign team nonsense and said the leaks were the “real scandal.” From early on in his White House bid, Trump said he would like improved relations with Putin, a stance criticized by Democrats and those Republicans concerned about Washington softening its stance after Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and aggression in Syria. Only a few Republican lawmakers have supported even the idea of extending any investigation to cover actions by Trump’s team in the weeks after the election, when Flynn made his calls. Some Republicans, including House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, are calling for investigations into leaks to the news media of conversations between Flynn and Russia’s ambassador in Washington. The Trump administration has offered Flynn’s former job to U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Robert Harward, said two U.S. officials familiar with the matter. It was not immediately clear if Harward, a former deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, had accepted the offer, according to sources. politicsNews
Your task is to classify the provided input as real or fake news. Label 0 is meant for fake news, Label 1 is for real news. TEXT: lawmakers push answers trump team russia tieswashington reuters a crisis relationship president donald trump aides russia deepened wednesday growing number trump fellow republicans demanded expanded congressional inquiries matter trump sought focus attention called criminal intelligence leaks ousted national security adviser michael flynn trump forced flynn monday disclosures discussed sanctions russia russian ambassador united states trump took office later misled vice president mike pence conversations the drama flynn departure latest series white house misses controversies since republican president sworn at news conference israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu wednesday trump said flynn retired army lieutenant general wonderful man mistreated news media but republican trump critics including senators john mccain lindsay graham voiced fresh conservation adding pressure comments senate foreign relations committee chairman bob corner trump supporter corner said russia issue threatening trump agenda foreign affairs domestic matters like healthcare tax policy he questioned whether white house able stabilize said flynn testify congress let get everything quickly possible russia issue corner told msnbc morning joe program maybe problem obviously goes much deeper democrats doubting trump justice department congress pursue matter vigorously demanded independent investigation possible illegal communications flynn russian government efforts flynn white house officials conceal wrongdoing the powerful democrat senate chuck scheme said attorney general jeff sessions close ally trump must recuse investigation the republican democratic leaders senate judiciary committee asked sessions fbi director james come wednesday send committee documents provide briefing flynn resignation citing reports federal bureau investigation justice department involved events leading flynn departure senators chuck grasses diane einstein said raised substantial questions flynn discussion russian officials graham called broader bipartisan congressional investigation conducted newly formed special committee rather existing committees turns trump presidential campaign communicated russian but top republicans senate house representatives insisted matter investigated existing committees the senate house intelligence committees subcommittee senate judiciary committee announced launched investigations alleged russian efforts influence election computer hacking intelligence agencies previously concluded russia hacked leaked democratic emails presidential campaign part efforts tilt vote election trump favor congressional inquiries alleged russian interference elections gaining momentum capitol hill investigators press intelligence law enforcement agencies access classified documents the fbi several intelligence agencies investigating russian espionage operations united states they also looking contacts russia russian intelligence officers others ties president vladimir putin government people connected trump campaign the fbi recently questioned flynn telephone contacts russian ambassador washington people familiar agency multiple probes said evidence far collusion russian trump campaign evidence criminal activity flynn anyone else connected trump some experts expressed concern white house could curtail divert probes flynn russian involvement election unless congress becomes aggressive holding hearings appointing independent commission special prosecutor whether trump team violated federal laws contacts russia intelligence agencies overseen trump may ideally suited job added it end day job intelligence community regulate white house said stephen vladeck university texas law professor focuses constitutional law national security very in twitter posts wednesday trump called reported russian connection campaign team nonsense said leaks real from early white house bid trump said would like improved relations putin stance criticized democrats republicans concerned washington shortening stance russia annexation crimea ukraine aggression syria only republican lawmakers supported even idea extending investigation cover actions trump team weeks election flynn made calls some republicans including house intelligence committee chairman devil tunes calling investigations leaks news media conversations flynn russia ambassador washington the trump administration offered flynn former job navy vice admiral robert harvard said two officials familiar matter it immediately clear harvard former deputy commander central command accepted offer according sources politicsnews