EAST AURORA, N.Y. — It's been more than six months since former Donald Trump campaign staffer Michael Caputo spent roughly four hours behind closed doors answering questions from the House Intelligence Committee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election.

"The fact of the matter is the House Intelligence Committee was talking to me when they were in their fishing stage and here we are again in the Senate and their fishing," Caputo said.

Although he called for the committee to make his testimony public, he believes Congress has appropriately done little with the information, or lack of information, he had for it.

"The House Intelligence Committee has kind of fallen off the radar," he said. "I think they've actually moved into another direction."

The political operative has spoken plenty about Russia now as a regular cable news contributor, but he said he was beginning to think his conversations with federal lawmakers on the topic were over. Then late last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee contacted his attorney requesting information and possibly testimony.

"I'm just hearing from the Senate now. They're just inviting me to testify now and I'm someone who's so far on the margins of this investigation as a witness, it tells me just one thing," Caputo said. "This is still a fishing expedition."

Despite his feelings about what the request means for the progress of the Senate committee's investigation, Caputo said he would be willing to cooperate.

"I'm being invited not subpoenaed, but the fact of the matter is the sooner this thing gets over the better off everyone is and if I can testify to help put an end to this, I want to do it," he said.

Caputo said his hesitation is a financial one. He is represented by former state Attorney General Dennis Vacco and has been vocal about how costly the investigation has been for him, noting he's already emptied his childrens' college funds.

"You need expert representation," Caputo said. "Dennis Vacco is one of the few people in Western New York qualified to represent me in a federal white collar kind of investigation. I'm really blessed having him. It's going to be expensive. There's no question."

He said he expects to make a decision in February.