House Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Adam Schiff on Thursday slammed the Trump administration's consideration of returning two Russian compounds that former President Barack Obama closed last year in retaliation for meddling in the presidential election.
"It'd be a terrible mistake," the California Democrat told Jake Tapper on CNN. "These are facilities that the Russians were using to spy on the American people.
"Why on Earth [would we] want to give them back, reward the Russians for their continued denial of their involvement in our election? It makes no sense whatsoever."
White House deputy assistant Sebastian Gorka told Tapper earlier that the administration was weighing the move because "we want to give collaboration, cooperation, a chance."
"The fact is we may not share the same philosophy, we may not share the same type of statesman view of the world, but the fact is there are some issues of common concern.
"If we can see acts of good faith come out of the Kremlin with regards to things such as a [Syrian] ceasefire, then perhaps there is a chance for what [Secretary of State] Rex Tillerson wants to see happen, which is an improvement in relations between our two capitals," Gorka said.
The Washington Post first reported the development in May. Obama closed the compounds, in New York and Maryland, in December in response to its election activities.
The House committee is among three congressional panel investigating Moscow's election involvement last year.
The Justice Department is conducting its own probe, headed by special counsel Robert Mueller.
Schiff called on his chamber to pass legislation approved by the Senate that would toughen sanctions against Russia.
"This is why it's so important for Congress to step up to take up in the House, the bill that passed in the senate 97-2, to prevent this president from taking unilateral actions to reward the Russians for their continued hostility."
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