Intel Chairman Devin Nunes: Trump 'needed' to know about surveillance
WASHINGTON — Facing mounting criticism Thursday, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee defended his decision to inform President Trump about the U.S. intelligence community's incidental collection of communications involving members of the president's transition group, saying Trump "needed to understand what I saw.''
Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said he made "a judgment call'' to inform the White House and reporters about the existence of dozens of intelligence reports in which the communications of an undisclosed number of transition members — and possibly Trump himself — were swept up by intelligence officials following the November election.
"The president did not invite me over,'' Nunes said, dismissing assertions that he was offering the president cover in the face of ongoing inquiries into Russia's possible ties to Trump associates. "I felt he needed to understand what I saw,'' the chairman said.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Thursday that Nunes' meeting with the president Wednesday was unplanned and did not conflict with the existing Russia investigations because the chairman's information had "nothing to do with Russia.''
"The substance of what he shared should be troubling to everybody,'' Spicer said.
Nunes' disclosure, however, was made without conferring with other members of the committee or ranking member Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who raised questions that the chairman's unilateral action undermined the ongoing committee investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election.
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Schiff has since indicated that Nunes' disclosures now argue for the appointment of an independent commission to investigate Russia's possible ties to Trump associates and whether there was any collusion between the two sides in advance of the election. That inquiry, Schiff suggested late Wednesday, appears to indicate that there is more than circumstantial evidence to indicate there was coordination between Russian officials and Trump associates.
Democrats and some Republican lawmakers, including Arizona Sen. John McCain, also expressed alarm Thursday that Nunes' actions may have undermined the credibility of the House Intelligence panel to proceed with its inquiry. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., a member of the intelligence committee, said Thursday that Nunes apologized to the panel for his actions during a closed meeting.
Asked whether she was comfortable with Nunes' continuing ability to lead the House investigation, Speier said: "My assessment will be based on the documents that he was so concerned about getting to the White House, which have not yet been shown to the full committee."
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., expressed continuing "confidence'' in Nunes' leadership of the panel.
Citing Schiff's disclosure about possible evidence of collusion, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., has called for the appointment of a special counsel to resolve mounting questions about Trump associates' ties to Russian interests.
"There is still much we do not know about Russian interference in our 2016 presidential election,'' Leahy said. "But what we do know is deeply disturbing.''
FBI Director James Comey Monday acknowledged for the first time publicly that the bureau was engaged in a wide-ranging counter-intelligence investigation into Russia interference and possible coordination with the Trump campaign.
At the same time, Comey dismissed Trump's previous assertions that the Obama administration had wiretapped his New York offices in advance of the 2016 election. Comey declined to address the inquiry Thursday during an appearance at the University of Texas in Austin.
On Wednesday, Nunes said the intelligence reports that he saw were not part of a criminal investigation or the FBI's ongoing investigation into Russia interference in the 2016 election. Rather, he said the collection was related to broader intelligence gathering activities.
Nunes continued to indicate Thursday that the intelligence reports that he viewed had come from one or more sources, perhaps whistle-blowers, who he declined to identify.
With the committee having urged prospective witnesses to provide any relevant information that they might have for its inquiry, Nunes said the intelligence reports that he viewed "came through the proper channels and proper clearances.''
“This was information that was brought to me that I thought the president needed to see,'' he said.
While the chairman continued to assert that there is no evidence that Trump Tower had been wiretapped in advance of the 2016 election, as claimed by the president and refuted by Comey, Trump has nevertheless seized on Nunes' disclosures as vindication of his false assertions.
Contributing: Erin Kelly
