The Fresno BEE editorial today (3/26) is titled: Russia-Trump probe is in chaos, and Nunes is to blame. It begins:
By our yardstick, Rep. Devin Nunes had a terrible week fulfilling his duties as chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence…. Nothing he did last week served the nation’s best interests.
First,
with millions of Americans, both Democrats and Republicans, wanting the committee to provide clarity on Russia’s involvement in the election and whether members of Trump’s campaign conspired with the Russians to weaken Clinton’s prospects, Nunes tried to steer the committee’s focus to identifying leakers of information embarrassing to President Trump.
It is an old trick in Washington, D.C., and one that rarely, if ever, works. Just ask Richard Nixon.
Then, the editorial makes clear the constitutional issue Nunes seems to have forgotten:
Then, Nunes – a Trump transition team member – betrayed the Constitution and its separation of powers by running like an errand boy to the White House to share with Trump classified information that he had received.
After describing Nunes’ press conference about the classified information, the editorial notes that “these events Wednesday ambushed other committee members. Nunes had not shared the information with them before spilling his guts to the president and to House Speaker Paul Ryan…..”
The editorial concludes:
Americans can distinguish between a hard-nosed fact-finder and a surrogate who shares information with a White House under FBI investigation.
Bring on the bipartisan special select committee – as was done with Benghazi – and a special prosecutor.
www.fresnobee.com/...
Two days earlier, a cartoon in the Fresno BEE on March 24 lampooned Nunes’ ill-advised press conference:
The first panel of the cartoon shows spooks at the NSA saying: We've picked up dangerous chatter, compromising situations, damaging leaks, and massive security breaches.
The second panel says: Relax, it's just another Devin Nunes news conference.
You can see the the Jack Ohman cartoon here: www.sacbee.com/…
UPDATE (3/29): www.nytimes.com/…
A Republican insider who once worked closely with Nunes described him as an “overeager goofball” ….
UPDATE (3/31): www.fresnobee.com/…
Nunes says House investigation is still on, blasts media during Fresno visit
Nunes was in Fresno to speak to the Ag Lenders Society of California annual meeting at 1 p.m. That drew several hundred protesters to line a sidewalk along Blackstone Avenue, most holding picket signs.
3/31 Protesters picket, criticize Nunes outside Fresno water speech
(4/1)
Hundreds protest Rep. Devin Nunes’ appearance in Fresno
(5/17)
UPDATE 5/17/17 re Nunes and Trump: www.visaliatimesdelta.com/...
Nunes backs Trump as scandals mount
President Donald Trump's style "sometimes causes problems for him," but he's simply facing the backlash that comes with trying to "drain the swamp," the head of the powerful House Intelligence Committee told the Times-Delta Wednesday.
Asked if he believes the Trump presidency is in trouble, Nunes said Trump speaks off the cuff, bringing a refreshing perspective to Washington. “President Trump is not a career politician and he speaks off the cuff a lot, which is sometimes refreshing and sometimes causes problems for him,” Nunes said. “But he said he was setting out to Washington to drain the swamp, and if you do that, you have to expect a lot of opposition from entrenched interests.”
Nunes has said he's always available to his constituents.
“Despite having met with our staff repeatedly, having exchanged further correspondence through emails, phone calls, and text messages, and having been provided with an array of information about specific legislative bills, a group of protesters is arguing that our office is not responsive to them,” said Jack Langer, spokesperson for Nunes. “Although we cannot dedicate our entire office to satisfying one particular group’s wishes, we will continue to listen and respond to all constituents who reach out to us for information.”
UPDATE 5/30/2017
Rep. Nunes says Democrats are trying to rationalize Clinton's election loss
Embattled House Select Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes told hundreds of local Republicans at a recent private dinner fundraiser (April 7) that congressional investigations into Russia's interference in the 2016 election are about Democrats trying to justify Hillary Clinton's loss.
"The Democrats don't want an investigation on Russia. They want an independent commission. Why do they want an independent commission? Because they want to continue the narrative that Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump are best friends and that's the reason that he won, because Hillary Clinton would have never lost on her own; it had to be someone else's fault," Nunes told Republicans at the $75-per-plate Tulare County Lincoln Dinner on April 7. His remarks were recorded on video and provided to the Los Angeles Times.
"They have tried to destroy this Russia investigation, they've never been serious about it, and one of the great things now that I've stepped aside from this Russia investigation, I can actually say what I want to say. I know that there's probably media in here, you can write it but just try to get it right when you do," the California Republican said.
Nunes called the ethics allegations "character assassination" lodged "by every left-wing group in America." Nunes cited the allegations as the reason for his decision in a statement at the time, but at the dinner he had a different justification.
The congressman told the Republicans that he stepped down to protect Valadao and other party members from being hounded about the issue. Valadao's district voted for Clinton by a wide margin, and he's on Democrats' target list for 2018.
"The reporters and the national news were going to chase David and every other member of Congress around the country for the next two weeks. Basically what I said, I said, 'Well, screw you,'" Nunes said. The crowd laughed and applauded. "So I did something that they never thought I would do and I stepped aside, and I gave them a gift."
That gift is Trey Gowdy, Tom Rooney and Mike Conaway, the three representatives he named to take over the investigation, Nunes said, complimenting his GOP colleagues.
"And guess what? When these ethics charges are gone then I'm going to be back again."
UPDATE 5/31/2017
Committee aides complained that the chairman, Representative Devin Nunes, who publicly recused himself from leading the Russia probe in April following a secret visit he paid to White House officials, failed to consult Democrats on the subpoenas.
The subpoenas asked the agencies to provide details of any requests made by two top Obama administration aides and the former CIA director to "unmask" names of Trump campaign advisers inadvertently picked up in top-secret foreign communications intercepts, congressional sources said.
Nunes move is against the rules, beside the point, and entirely designed to obstruct the actual investigation.
On a day when the committee issued subpoenas seeking documents related to the Trump–Russia investigation, Nunes has created his own investigation, single-handedly, using his position as committee chair to subvert and derail the actual investigation as he attempts to provide talking points for Trump.
The embattled head of the House Intelligence Committee Wednesday appeared to have launched an investigation of his own, this one into allegations that senior Obama administration officials improperly “unmasked” the identities of Trump associates captured communicating with foreign officials.
Nunes has subpoenaed three Obama administration officials — CIA Director James Brennan, UN Ambassador Samantha Powers, and, of course, National Security Advisor Susan Rice. The intent is clearly to disrupt proceedings on the Trump–Russia investigation, feed alt-right conspiracy theories regarding the ‘deep state,’ and in general keep the House Intelligence Committee ineffective and at a standstill. Nunes broke the committee, and he’s trying to keep anyone from repairing it.
UPDATE: 6/2/17
UPDATE: 6/22/17
UPDATE: 7/21/17
www.dailykos.com/… “Senator Richard Burr accuses Congressman Nunes of making up the ‘unmasking thing’”
UPDATE: 8/1/17 A group visiting Nunes’ office in Visalia to celebrate Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid commented that they disagreed with
Nunes' voting record on issues that have a direct impact on seniors, students, veterans, people with disabilities and the working poor; which incidently over 12 years is 7%. “93% of the time he votes for Big Pharma, Big Ag, the Insurance industry, weapons manufacturers and not for the working poor.“ www.fresnobee.com/…
There’s a good video of the group protesting outside Nunes’ Visalia office here:
UPDATE: 8/9/17
How Close Is Devin Nunes To Obstructing Justice? Sometimes The Fish Rots From The Tail Up.
Two congressional staffers traveled to London last month — reportedly at the direction of a longtime aide to Nunes — to question former British spy Christopher Steele about a memo he wrote about Trump campaign ties to Russia… Democratic lawmakers were angry they hadn’t been consulted about the two staffers’ London trip, while Republicans have accused their colleagues of maintaining back-channel contacts with Steele about the explosive, 35-page dossier.
UPDATE: 8/25/17 Trump has tried to stop the Russia investigation again, and again, and again
A Washington Post article 7 times Trump tried to call off the dogs on Russia lists at least seven incidents of Trump attempting to stop/cripple the investigation in the Senate or with the FBI, including multiple attempts to get former FBI director James Comey to put on the brakes. However, the article omits at least one other clear incidence of the Trump White House going all out to put a giant monkey wrench in the works—the false accusations that were fed from the White House, to Devin Nunes, and out to the press.
Nunes’ surreal dashes around the White House grounds were actually one of the most successful efforts, as they managed to completely derail the investigation in the House for weeks, distract the press with notions of “unmasking” and feed a right-wing narrative that this whole thing was some kind of “deep state” conspiracy against Trump. Nunes, who was part of Trump’s transition team, also stayed on board to attack the notion of a special counsel, making him one of Trump’s most consistent anti-investigation surrogates in Congress. But if the California congressman was singularly effective at slowing the progress of the investigation, he was far from the only Republican in Congress attempting to devalue the entire process.
UPDATE: 9/7/17
Trump Russia: Nunes Threatens DOJ, FBI, While A CIA Officer Posts Major Imflammatory Article
The newest debacle in the on-going Republican Civil War is Devin Nunes yesterday threatening both Jeff Sessions and Christopher Way with being held in contempt of congress, an infraction which carries a one year prison sentence if convicted. First of all, Devin Nunes did not recuse himself from the Trump Russia investigation in any way, shape, or form, which is what the Los Angeles Times said back in June. The word “recused” was not used in any statement he gave and Nunes never intended to recuse himself, he just wanted to get out of the spotlight and get the heat off. He’s been conducting his own investigation all this time and on September 1 he sent a letter to Jeff Sessons and it’s a doozy:
UPDATE: 10/24/17 House committees open probe into Obama-era uranium deal, timing of Clinton Foundation donation
The probe, announced by King, Nunes and Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), is looking at whether there was a conflict of interest because of accusations that Russians funneled money into the Clinton Foundation during the time of the deal. Hillary Clinton was secretary of state at the time….Nunes, who said in April he was stepping back, but not recusing himself from the House probe into the election meddling after visiting the White House to brief the President on early findings, bristled when questioned on Tuesday. While referring reporters to his April statement, he also said he wished reporters would “stop referring to” it. He added that he and others have not been in touch with anyone at the White House about the uranium probe. “So our committee has been looking into this for a while now. We have been in touch with different individuals who have brought us information,” he said added.