Rep. Burchett Seeks Soros, OSF VP Testimony Over 2016 Russiagate

Representative Tim Burchett has formally requested that billionaire George Soros and Leonard Benardo, senior vice president of Soros's Open Society Foundations, testify before Congress regarding their alleged involvement in the 2016 Russiagate affair aimed at discrediting President Donald Trump. The request follows the declassification of documents by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and the Senate Judiciary Committee, which reportedly link Soros’s foundation to efforts by the Obama administration, Hillary Clinton, and others to manufacture and politicize intelligence to undermine Trump. An email allegedly written by Benardo, though disputed and potentially fabricated according to Special Counsel John Durham's 2023 annex, reportedly outlined plans to connect Trump to Russia to distract from Clinton’s email scandal. Burchett urged the House Oversight Committee to subpoena Soros and Benardo if they refuse to testify voluntarily, emphasizing the public's right to answers about the alleged subversion of democratic institutions. The declassified documents and emails have been characterized as evidence of a broader conspiracy to delegitimize Trump's presidency through false narratives related to Russian election interference. These developments have intensified calls for accountability regarding the origins and handling of the Russiagate allegations.