“There’s no doubt that keeping members focused on investigations detracts from our legislative agenda, detracts from what we’re trying to deliver for the American people,” Marc Short, the White House director of legislative affairs, said during a briefing on Monday, according to the report.
The comment comes ahead of testimony Thursday by fired FBI Direct James Comey before the Senate Intelligence Committee.
President Donald Trump has called the investigation a “witch hunt.”
The Russia investigation poses a distraction as senators work to revise the House-approved American Health Care Act. Mr. Short said the White House wants the Senate to pass the AHCA before the five-week congressional recess begins in August, but the investigation, on top of divisions over the bill within the Republican party, could make that a challenging goal.
The Trump administration said it also wants to mark other legislative priorities off its checklist before the recess begins, including raising the nation’s debt ceiling and tax reform, according to the report.
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