you can log onto our website to view all 150 winning documentaries. be sure to watch the announcement of our studentcam 2017 grand prize winner. >> washington journal continues. >> we will return to the question we started with, and that is is an independent and into thetion needed president, his campaign and possible ties to rush -- to rush of? russia? >> we have seen no evidence from any of these ongoing investigations that anybody in the trump campaign or trump team

was involved. with nobeen presented evidence. we're still doing investigations. the intelligence committees have been investigating this. the intelligence community did give us thetion and results before the inoculation. the house intelligence community finished coming up with its oversight plan. we protecting the sources of these methods. >> house intelligence committees are doing their own investigation, as well as judiciary committees looking into this. should there be an independent investigation outside of governments to look into this?

the washington post has a cheat sheet of hope for different ofions -- has a cheat sheet water different options. the con is that it can be viewed by the public denson's republicans control both chambers of congress -- a dozen lawmakers would be assigned to investigate, but only investigate this issue. it also may be proceed -- maybe perceived as less partisan. third option, the justice department won't expand its own obligation. be anird would

independent prosecutor. that could be an option that would happen. here is this piece in the washington post about the big problem with special prosecutors. although congress allowed -- mechanism.ed a mexica if it is perceived they may have a conflict of interest he can excuse himself and have the deputy attorney general meme special prosecutor to take over. it goes on to say that this is a model that democrats are clamoring for.

he writes that all this would be done behind closed doors, that the prosecutor would not be able he isl the public what investigated or one information they have. richard from new jersey, independent, what do you think? caller: news media and everybody else in the federal government, they don't seem to be stepping on each other's foot and getting in line. i'm sure if he released his taxes you would find all kinds of things. host: there are some republican to say in outside investigation is needed. he said we need an independent review by a credible third-party

and journey -- and attorney general sessions should recuse himself. caller: more than a handful of this country don't have faith and donald and his whole government. i don't think anything is going to change. i can't believe you're paying andybody to hang around point a finger at trump. -- we are paying these people money to do nothing. from georgia, what do you think? >> i have to go along with the independent. you have republicans that want their hands sure

are clean. you want to have clean hands because you have so much bad things that happen. out -- ding it sickens me. i'm hoping they get independent so that all the democrats and just goblicans -- they in and find out what really happened. editorialusa today board says -- they write this. leaders should from highlyttee respected members of both parties. any evidence of criminal --ngdoing would be refuted would be referred to the justice department.

someone respected for integrity and independence. do you agree or disagree? you are next. >> i think they should have a special counsel here, but i don't agree with usa today. trying to get anybody in congress from both sides to work together, i think it is going to end up in another drawnout benghazi situation. larger that people are tired of these long drawn out -- peoplenal hearings are tired out of these long drawn out congressional hearings. of hearing it, i'm tired of looking at it. reason i like your

channel. nois what it is and there is sides being taken on the news to report any information. the thing is this is the democrats benghazi. them a chance to get back at the republicans for all they did with benghazi hearings. the thing that troubles me is where were the democrats for the last two years when the russians computers allng over the place in america and they didn't do anything. it seems like a convenient time when they awaited to see what the results of the election would be.

>> the leader of the democrats was at a politico breakfast. here is what she had to say about attorney general jeff sessions yesterday recusing himself and possible investigation. >> you have called for him to did -- to resign. let me just say we talked about a bunch of things and then we moved into the leadership of our country. we had the talk not only about the authority of the person's position that the moral and what we see as a very narrow recusal, i will recuse myself on the investigation and the election. there is a whole russian of personal,

political, and financial connection of trump and his administration and his cams -- his campaign. if these meetings were not qs, why did he denied he had them? he's the highest law enforcement officer in the country. he supposed to tell the truth. what is that say to the american bar association, there's -- old standard -- their standard of conduct? this is totally unacceptable and the idea they are making excuses and splitting hairs we have not seen the end of this. is an admission something is wrong. as you see reports in the media,

you take it for what that is , i think the president's attack on a media are authoritarian, they are wrong. i can't even imagine what our founding fathers think of this. reported the post has interviewed -- yet inven't found anyone addition to sessions, who was visited by the russians. >> you can watch the rest of the minority leaders at breakfast on c-span.org. this is from wall street journal. --

michael in minnesota, independent, you are next. caller: i guess i have concerns with president trump. he has figured that this administration will be different than the last. turmoilee what all the is going on. he hasn't stepped into it. his promise was he will have a transparent administration. is he not stepping in and say, there is nothing to hike -- nothing to hide.

put all my cards on the table. that's all i have to say. host: paul from illinois on the independent line. caller: a lot of being said about mr. sessions. i'm no fan of his. has he has said and what he done, he bears no responsibility for what is going on now. offering -- offering a recusal is and him admitting anything. he does and want to go down with something he isn't responsible for. we had a candidate within normal russian investors who publicly called for hacking of the democrats and clinton during the campaign. you tie that with the national

security agency, knowing the russians did hack in during our campaign and try to influence that. you try to put all those things together, you have to have time for an independent counsel to investigate this. it is obvious something is there that can't be swept away. host: gale, your turn, what do you think about an independent investigation? caller: i think there needs to be an independent investigation. spoke, -- iho just can see they need an independent investigation. the russians put things on social media, it was disgusting what i saw on social media. i can't believe the people can't see how people -- can't

they influenced -- they had oflls, they had thousands trolls to make statements and put false information. they had a false stories about murder. fox news to an awful lot of lying. the artificial war that obama had against christmas -- host: going down a different road here. caller: as a republican, i remember during the irs scandal there was no special prosecutor. the computer hacking scandal.

no special prosecutor. i find it very hypocritical. mike from new jersey. an independent. whole thingnd the about the independent investigation just another desperate attempt by the ruling elite of the corrupt government of our country, which 78% of all americans have stated in the gallup polls as being corrupt, and all you are seeing is their efforts to try to sabotage relations with russia, sabotage -- which i consider treasonous. this political game they are playing is dangerous. they are playing it to promote their foreign agenda they had with hillary and george bush, which is to overthrow government violently and use military hardware to do it.

they are going to do an investigation. theyis what i suggest start with, how about victoria nuland, who was setting up the government of the ukraine and meddling in their is in the cfl -- and their business? prosecuted her for doing something that was on american and was committing crimes against another country. host: lots of stories in the paper today about who this russian ambassador is that senator sessions met with. reporting yesterday -- and in the washington post -- he is known to collect scores of

business cards as he moves through washington and requests for one-on-one meetings. session said he invited him to lunch --

that according to hall, a former head of russia operations at the cia. momentarily here we will bring you to george washington university, where he will be delivering a lecture about u.s. role -- -- u.s. russian relations. that live coverage coming up at the top of the hour. until them more of your calls. tim from wisconsin, a democrat. caller: i always believed it is a very simple thing. when you are in the right, you want the facts to come out. it is very simple.

one brief comment on health care. we had single-payer, employers wouldn't have to think about health care. no one would have to go through all of that stuff. if i was an employer of a few people and they had health care and i didn't have to think about it i would love it. host: from pennsylvania, a republican. was watching your session with nancy pelosi and she seems to have forgotten -- he didn't call for the resignation of the attorney general of the time when the attorney general met vice president clinton in an airport in arizona for 30 minutes. move ontore you another point, i want to tell you something, she was asked that question yesterday at her weekly briefing she had with reporters. c-span, because

you can hear her answers. very first question she was asked. caller: if the russians try to interfere with the election, does anybody recall hillary clinton got more votes, so if the russians had try to interfere with the election, they were interfering on the part of hillary clinton, because she actually got more votes than mr. trump, however mr. trump won the electoral college votes. it seems disingenuous we go around and found in the circles. host: a couple more stories in the paper about contact with russian officials and the trump organization. usa today --

and then you also have this story in wall street journal this morning about donald trump junior with the headline -- the story goes on to say the younger mr. trump's appearance work as a paid speaker are likely to raise questions by an effort to gain influence. in washington dc, independent, hello there.

caller: i think we need to get to the bottom of this. if you look at before the poll --, every everything was wrong. there were so many weird things about this. that's why some of us believe .here is something there thisr not investigating, web of lies and all the shenanigans with the russians, we think this is a huge thing we need to get to the bottom of. all the data doesn't add up and there is something about this the republican party wanted so bad. matter how they got all these issians involved in this,

think this is a wide net we need to get to the bottom of. host: some other news before we say goodbye, front page of the has a story on the divide at the white house over the climate agreement. steve bannon at dressing the president to pull from the landmark. but secretary of state rex tillerson and his daughter are encouraging him to not do that, fearing it could have diplomatic ramifications. and from page of the usa today has a story about vice president mike pence using a personal he served as governor of indiana. he sent sensitive information dealing with homeland security from his aol account and received it as well. then the new york times reports that the irs facing deep cuts under the president.

the white house budget office has proposed a 14% cut to the fiscal year beginning in october. at 12ars ago it stood billion. 13 .6 billion when adjusted for inflation. there is also this story that the president may give the pentagon leeway -- and you may also want to read the story in the washington the president visiting the nuclear aircraft carrier yesterday.d the 100,000 ton carrier cost

expected to and its be commission later this year after delays. john f. kennedy is under construction scheduled to be commission. you can go to c-span.org to watch what he had to say. we will try to get in a couple more voices. susan from the dutch susan from new york. -- susan from new york. yes, i definitely think we need an independent investigation. trump has been sketchy from day one. if he would simply release his tax returns, that would solve a lot of the problem. we definitely have to follow the money trail. wilbur -- i believe wilbur ross would be the next one.

the public needs to hear what is going on. host: tim, a republican from minnesota. having me.nks for how soon we forget how the obama administration pumped so much money in trying to sway the israel elections. let's not forget he sent advisers over there, they spent millions, they tried to sway an election themselves. trump, and up with they are blowing this thing so out of proportion it is ridiculous. host: i'm going to leave it there, because i want to let our -- let our viewers know over at george washington university, we told you about the former ambassador to russia for the obama administration is about to give a lecture on russia u.s. relations of the gw institute of policy and global communication. live coverage here on c-span.

>> good morning everyone, welcome to the annual walter roberts lecture, cosponsored by he institute of diplomacy -- this annual lecture is paid for