The US Senate and Congress intelligence committees will proceed to investigate allegations of Russian hacking into the recent US elections in two separate inquiries, including claims that the Donald Trump campaign had contacted the Kremlin. In a closed session, Tuesday, the Senate committee approved a formal plan to explore the allegations following the panel’s previously announced inquiry. The deadline for the completion of the probe was set in three months. The House committee announced it would launch its own investigation for the first time, Wednesday, into the intelligence community conclusion about Russian tampering with US elections. As part of its probe the House panel said it would examine U.S. “counterintelligence concerns” about the election, “including any intelligence regarding links between Russia and individuals associated with political campaigns.” The scope of the two inquiries is expected to include examining the validity of a 35-page dossier circulated on the internet alleging the Russians had compromising intelligence on Donald Trump, as well as a series of unverified contacts between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.