GOP senators demand DOJ give answers after it allegedly spied on House, Senate staffers during Russia probe

In the wake of allegations that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had surveilled the emails of Congress members during Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, Senate Republicans are demanding more information from the DOJ.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and John Cornyn (R-TX), sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr on Friday asking for clarification.

“We understand that Special Counsel Mueller’s team examined emails from House and Senate staff during its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election,” the senators wrote. “We demand answers about whether the Department of Justice conducted surveillance on individual members of our staffs and, if so, what the jurisdictional basis was for such surveillance.”

The letter goes on to cite “concerns regarding the abuse of investigating power by the Executive Branch” and demanded that the DOJ respond to questions about the scope and targets of the surveillance “by close of business on May 10, 2019.”