WASHINGTON DC (November 22, 2019) – Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Ron Johnson, (R-WI), chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, are requesting investigative records related to a Democratic Party consultant who sought dirt from Ukraine on the Trump campaign in 2016. Alexandra Chalupa reportedly met with Ukrainian Embassy officials during the campaign to develop a coordinated strategy to undermine then-candidate Trump’s electoral prospects.
Around that same time, other reports revealed that Chalupa suspected she was the target of a state-sponsored cyberattack while working at the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The FBI interviewed her about the attack and took computer forensic images of her laptop and smartphone.
“If this reporting is accurate, it appears that the DOJ and FBI have in their possession material relevant to our Committees’ ongoing investigation into collusive actions Chalupa and the DNC took to use foreign government sources to undermine the Trump campaign during the 2016 election,” the sens wrote in a letter to Attorney General William Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray.
The sens requested records related to the FBI’s investigation, including copies of all interview notes and material related to the forensic images of Chalupa’s devices.
Sen Grassley first raised concerns in 2017 about Chalupa’s activity on behalf of the DNC to coordinate with a foreign government to sabotage the Trump campaign. In September, the sens asked the Justice Department whether it was investigating coordination between the Ukrainian government and individuals associated with the DNC or Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Earlier today, the sens requested records from the National Archives related to White House visitor log records showing meetings between Chalupa, Ukrainians, and Obama administration-officials.
Text of the letter to the FBI and DOJ enclosed.
