WASHINGTON _ Rep. Adam Schiff on Monday urged his fellow Californian Rep. Devin Nunes to remove himself from their investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Before late last week, Schiff, a Democrat, had gone out of his way not to be critical of Nunes, a Republican, throughout the fledgling investigation. They have held the top positions on the House Intelligence Committee for two years, and served in Congress together for more than a decade.
"This is not a recommendation I make lightly, as the Chairman and I have worked together well for several 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," Schiff said in a statement.
Committee chairman Nunes last week surprised many when he told reporters that conversations between President Donald Trump and his transition team may have been accidentally picked up during legal intelligence gathering. Nunes briefed the media and Trump before informing his committee.
A spokesman for Nunes, who was a member of Trump's transition team, said Monday he obtained the information from a source on White House grounds, which raised even more questions. Nearly a week after Nunes' announcement, committee members still haven't seen the evidence, Schiff said.
"There was no legitimate justification for bringing that information to the White House instead of the committee. That it was also obtained at the White House makes this departure all the more concerning," Schiff said.
Nunes' spokesman would not comment on calls for the chairman to recuse himself.
House Democrats have called for an entirely independent investigation, but short of that were coalescing around the call for Nunes to step aside Monday.
Among others, Schiff's Intelligence Committee colleagues Reps. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., and Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., have also called for Nunes to step aside from the investigation. The House and Senate Select Intelligence Committees are both investigating allegations Russia tried to interfere with the presidential election and what, if anything, the Trump campaign knew about it.
"So far, too many people in the White House and Administration, and now, the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, have betrayed their duty to conduct an independent, bipartisan inquiry into the Trump team's ties with Russia," Swalwell said in a statement. "Chairman Nunes should no longer be anywhere near this investigation, let alone leading it."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also said in a statement that Nunes has "tarnished" the chairmanship and it is "long overdue" for House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to ask him to recuse himself from the investigation.
