Ramp Up the Senate Investigation

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s refusal to create a special committee to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election is short-sighted, even from the vantage of partisan self-interest. He can make up for it by ensuring that the Senate’s existing investigation gets the resources it needs.

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is woefully understaffed, conducting a vital national security investigation with fewer than a dozen full-time staff. The independent commission studying the Sept. 11 attacks, by contrast, had a staff of about 75. At its peak, the Watergate committee had about 100; the Church Committee investigating intelligence abuses had some 150.