Feinstein requests interview with WH social media director amid Russia probe

The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee wants the panel to interview Trump aide and longtime confidant Dan Scavino as part of its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. 

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Wednesday sent a letter to Scavino, who now serves as White House social media director, requesting a tranche of documents from him in addition to an interview later this month.

“Given your role on the campaign and in the White House, we believe that you have information that would assist the Committee in its investigation related to the 2016 presidential election and the dismissal of Director Comey,” Feinstein wrote. “Accordingly, we are writing to request documents and to schedule an interview with you in January 2018.”

{mosads}Scavino, who began his career with Trump in the early 1990s as one of his golf caddies, ran social media for Trump’s presidential campaign and is said to be frequently at Trump’s side in the White House. 

Scavino was reportedly with Trump at his golf club in New Jersey the weekend Trump decided to fire then-FBI Director James Comey. In her letter, Feinstein asked Scavino for information related to Comey’s firing or his interactions with Trump.

Scavino has also been swept up in the intrigue surrounding Russian interference in the election.

The Washington Post reported in December that an executive at Russian social media company VKontakte reached out to Scavino and Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, by email before the election offering to help promote the campaign through the platform.

Feinstein wrote in the letter that the committee “received information that you may have corresponded with Russian nationals regarding Trump campaign social media efforts.” 

Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) did not sign on to Feinstein’s letter but is copied on it. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s Russia probe has been plagued by partisan divisions, with Republicans and Democrats accusing each other of stonewalling the investigation.

She also asked Scavino to provide documents concerning the appointment of Michael Flynn as national security adviser and his subsequent resignation, as well as those pertaining to the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya before which Trump Jr. was offered damaging information on Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. 

The top Democrat also asked for any communications with representatives of WikiLeaks, DC Leaks, Guccifer 2.0 or VKontakte.