House intel committee asks former Trump campaign staffer to interview in Russia probe

The House Intelligence Committee is asking a former adviser to President Trump who has ties to Russia for a voluntary interview and documents related to alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The New York Times reported Saturday that the House committee sent a letter to Michael Caputo on May 9 asking him to “produce documents and other materials to the committee and participate in a voluntary transcribed interview at the committee’s offices.”

The committee, which is looking into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Moscow, wants to discuss: “Russian cyber activities directed against the 2016 U.S. election, potential links between Russia and individuals associated with political campaigns, the U.S. government’s response to those Russian active measures, and related links of classified information.”

{mosads}Caputo once worked in Russia during the ’90s and again in the early 2000s for Gazprom Media, a company that supported Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Caputo responded to the committee denying any contact with Russians during the campaign. 

“At no time during this period did I have any contact with Russian government officials or employees,” Caputo wrote, according to The Times.

The House committee’s letter to Caputo comes just after reports surfaced that the investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election now include a current senior White House official. It also follows reports that Russian officials bragged that they thought they could use former national security adviser Michael Flynn to influence Trump in the White House.