Should Congress Subpoena the Interpreters from the Trump, Putin Meetings?

What’s the story?

• Democratic lawmakers are considering whether to subpoena the interpreters present during President Donald Trump’s meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid reports that Trump has worked to conceal the conversations.
• The Washington Post reported on Saturday that after the president met with Putin in Germany in 2017, he allegedly took notes from his own interpreter and instructed them not to discuss the details of the meeting with anyone in the administration. Trump's two hour closed-door meeting with Putin in Helsinki has also been shrouded in secrecy.
• WaPo’s report came a day after the New York Times reported that Trump's firing of James Comey triggered a counterintelligence investigation into whether the president was wittingly or unwittingly working to advance Russian interests.

What are both sides saying?

• President Trump on Monday denied he was working for Russia, telling reporters outside the White House:

• Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told CNN he’ll work with the House Intelligence Committee to get the interpreter's notes.
• "We're going to try to get to the bottom of this," Engel said. But he added that "no decisions have been made on subpoenas."

"We all know that the Russians interfered in our 2016 election. We know they interfered to try to help Donald Trump win. And since that time, there have been meetings between Putin and Trump and we don't know what went on ... You just scratch your head and say, 'What is it? Why is it that the President of the United States seems to go against our allies like the UK or Germany or France and cozy up to Putin?' It makes no sense whatsoever."

• Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Engel’s counterpart on the intelligence panel, tweeted:

• However, CNN reported that two Democratic aides claimed there’s hesitation in subpoenaing interpreters over “concerns about crimping future diplomatic conversations if leaders think they can't speak freely because their interpreters' notes could be made public.”

What do you think?

Should Congress subpoena the interpreters present at Trump’s meeting with Putin? Or does it set a bad precedent? Is the Russia investigation a “total hoax”? Take action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman 

(Photo Credit: Alexey NIKOLSKY / Sputnik / AFP)