Top Republican opens up about leading Russia probe

WASHINGTON -- For much of the last two years, Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Richard Burr has been the Russia investigator who is seen but rarely heard on Capitol Hill.

In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, the North Carolina Republican opened up about the investigation consuming 19 months of his life. He said it has been "frustrating as hell" and much more difficult than he originally envisioned. But he said the integrity of the investigation -- and its importance to the institution of the Senate -- is something he has labored to protect.

"Nothing in this town stays classified or secret forever," Burr said. "And at some point somebody's going to go back and do a review. And I'd love not to be the one that chaired the committee when somebody says, 'well, boy, you missed this.' So we've tried to be pretty thorough in how we've done it."

Burr said there is "no factual evidence today that we've received" on collusion or conspiracy between Russia and President Donald Trump's campaign. But he said he's still open on the issue and hasn't personally come to any final conclusions, since the investigation isn't finished.

The Senate investigation is the last bipartisan congressional probe of Russia's interference in the 2016 election and connections to Trump's campaign. Working with the panel's top Democrat, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, Burr has so far managed to keep the investigation free from the extraordinary acrimony hindering work on the House side of the Capitol. The House Intelligence Committee bitterly fought through its entire Russia investigation, which ended earlier this year despite the objections of Democrats.

"From an institution standpoint, I want the American people to understand that the Senate can function, even on the most serious things," Burr said.

Normally a self-described creature of habit, Burr said his schedule has been upended. He said he has had "no life" since January 2017, when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell asked him to start the investigation, and as the panel has chased leads -- and leads coming from those leads -- in the United States and abroad. He said the international aspect of the probe, the sheer number of players connected to one another and the many lawyers they have to deal with have made the work more challenging than originally expected.

Still, he said he doesn't think the committee should rush to wrap up the work, saying "the worst thing we can do is to prematurely try to end" the probe. He said the panel still has a handful of people to interview behind closed doors and some who they may want to interview again, though he isn't making any commitments on bringing witnesses forward publicly.

"If the intent is to have a show trial, I'm not a participant," Burr said on public hearings.