Congressman Adam Schiff Says Nunes Should Recuse Himself From Russia Investigation

BREAKING

The ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee Congressman Adam Schiff on Monday called for Republican Congressman Nunes to recuse himself from the committee’s investigation into Russia.

In a statement Schiff said, “After much consideration, and in light of the Chairman’s admission that he met with his source of information at the White House, I believe that the Chairman should recuse himself from any further involvement in oversight of matters pertaining to any incidental collection of the Trump transition, as he was also a key member of the transition team.”

“This is not a recommendation I make lightly, as the Chairman and I have worked together well over the years; and I take this step with the knowledge of the solemn responsibility we have on the Intelligence Committee to provide oversight on all intelligence matters, not just to conduct the investigation.

“But in much the same way that the Attorney General was forced to recuse himself from the Russia investigation after failing to inform the Senate of his meetings with Russian officials, I believe the public cannot have the necessary confidence that matters involving the President’s campaign or transition team can be objectively investigated or overseen by the Chairman,” Schiff continued.

Finally, Schiff concluded his statement by saying, “As to the merits of the Chairman’s underlying claim, none of the committee members – Democrats or Republicans – has seen the relevant documents, now almost a week later. Whether the documents support the argument that names were improperly unmasked or distributed, it is impossible to judge, but one thing is very clear: There was no legitimate justification for bringing that information to the White House instead of the committee. That it was obtained at the White House makes this departure all the more concerning. In the interests of a fair and impartial investigation whose results will be respected by the public, the Chairman’s recusal is more than warranted.”

Two of Congressman Schiff’s fellow Democrats on the committee, Jackie Speier and Eric Swalwell have also called for Nunes’s recusal.

“The chairman’s admission this morning that he met with an unnamed ‘source’ on White House grounds ‘in order to have proximity to a secure location where he could view [classified] information’ is the last straw. This implies that the chairman and the White House colluded in a desperate attempt to salvage the president’s credibility, after the president’s bogus wiretapping claims were debunked by his own FBI director,” Speier said