(Bloomberg) -- Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee are threatening to subpoena FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe next week unless he agrees to appear before their panel, according to a committee official.
They intend on pressing McCabe on topics including his role in the FBI's investigation into former White House National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, said the official, who asked not to be identified discussing the members' plans. Interest in McCabe goes beyond Flynn, however, the official said.
Flynn is believed to be a focus in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in last year's presidential campaign and whether anyone close to Trump colluded in the meddling.
Flynn was ousted from his post in President Donald Trump's administration in February for misleading Vice President Mike Pence about his post-election contacts with Russians, including a December telephone call with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. about American sanctions against Russia.
The efforts to force McCabe to testify is being led by House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes. The California Republican has questioned the leaks to the media of eavesdropping conducted by U.S. intelligence agencies on Flynn's calls with the Russian ambassador. The intelligence agencies have long maintained surveillance on Russian diplomats in the U.S.
The FBI declined to comment on the demand for McCabe to testify, spokeswoman Carol Cratty said in an email Friday.
Read More: A QuickTake Q&A on Understanding the Trump-Russia Saga
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley wrote a June 28 letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein questioning whether McCabe handled the Flynn investigation “fairly and objectively.”
Grassley raised several issues, including a gender-discrimination complaint filed against the FBI. He noted Flynn had provided “a letter of support for the complainant in that case, which raises serious questions about why Mr. McCabe also failed to recuse himself from investigations involving Mr. Flynn.”
McCabe became the FBI's acting director after James Comey was dismissed by Trump and he served in that role until Aug. 2.
Nunes stepped back from running the panel's probe into Russian meddling into last year's presidential election amid controversy about his collaboration with the White House in releasing information, but he kept his job running the committee and remains involved in some issues related to the probe.
--With assistance from Chris Strohm
To contact the reporter on this story: Billy House in Washington at bhouse5@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kevin Whitelaw at kwhitelaw@bloomberg.net, Larry Liebert
©2017 Bloomberg L.P.
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