Politics

Nunes: I’m Staying Put

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Kerry Picket Political Reporter
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House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes told reporters Monday night he plans to stay on as chairman of the committee, despite calls from Democratic leadership for him to step down or recuse himself from the Russia election probe.

“Everything is politics here,” Nunes told reporters as described by a journalist from Voice of America.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on House Speaker Paul Ryan to replace Nunes after news broke that the California House Republican visited the White House to view sensitive material related to Obama era surveillance of the Trump transition team one day before he discussed the topic with reporters last week.

“Now we learn this morning that Chairman Nunes was at the White House a day before that event,” Schumer said. “Doing what? We don’t know…it could very well be the case that that Chairman Nunes was briefing members of the administration about an investigation of which they are subject.”

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called for Nunes to recuse himself from the Russia investigation his committee is involved in.

“Speaker Ryan must insist that Chairman Nunes at least recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation immediately,” Pelosi said in a statement. “That leadership is long overdue.”

Other Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee called for Ryan to replace Nunes, including committee ranking member Adam Schiff, California Rep. Jackie Speier, and California Rep. Eric Swalwell.

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