US Senate’s probe of Russia’s alleged interference in 2016 vote to conclude soon

The US Senate’s parallel investigation into Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election will complete its initial review “within weeks,” says the chairman of the Intelligence Committee.

North Carolina Republican Senator Richard Burr made the announcement in a press conference along with ranking member Democratic Senator Mark Warner.

The two lawmakers tried to distance the investigation from a beleaguered one underway in the US House of Representatives.

Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, who oversees that investigation, has been urged to scrap the probe after evidence emerged of his coordination with Trump on classified documents.

"Obviously there is a lot of drama," Warner said of that investigation, as Burr noted that "We're not asking the House to play in any role in our investigation and we're not playing any role in their investigation."

The Senate committee, which is dealing with an “unprecedented” number of classified documents, also needs to interview 20 individuals.

Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, is on a list of 15 individuals, whose interviews have not yet been scheduled.

Kushner will be contacted once “we know exactly the scope of what needs to be asked,” according to Burr.

The first hearing of the committee is set to take place on Thursday.

In a declassified report released in January the intelligence community concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin helped the New York billionaire win the White House, an allegation that resulted in probes into the matter despite being dismissed both by Moscow and Trump.

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