Republican congressman Devin Nunes of California is under investigation by the bipartisan House Ethics Committee for his strange and erratic behavior as Chairman of the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Associated Press reported. Rep. Nunes announced the investigation in a statement and he also said he will "temporarily" step aside as Chairman of Intelligence. He claims that several left-wing organizations filed complaints against him, but was stepping aside as to not distract from the work of the House Intelligence Committee.
Nunes steps aside; blames the 'left-wing'
Rep. Nunes vehemently denies the charges, labeling them as "false and politically motivated." He also said that in the best interest of the House committee, he will "temporarily" step aside and yield to GOP congressman Mike Conaway of Texas. He will continue with other duties on the House committee, but not the Russia investigation that has tied President Trump and his campaign team with possible collusion.
BREAKING: House intel committee chief Devin Nunes says he's temporarily stepping aside from Russia probe amid ethics accusations.
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 6, 2017
House investigates Nunes and his strange behavior on Russian ties
The House Ethics Committee is a bipartisan panel of respected members of the Democratic and Republican Party, with an equal number of each party.
This is known as an 18a investigation with full subpoena power and has real teeth in any of its findings. It was Rep. Nunes who has accessed intelligence materials from a source at the White House, and then the next day informed House Speaker Paul Ryan and President Trump. He failed, however, to inform his fellow committee members which is what got him into the real trouble on this matter.
Why Devin Nunes says he is temporarily stepping aside in the Russian meddling probe: https://t.co/LPWdtl16Qy (Getty) pic.twitter.com/gr2jCuetpv
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) April 6, 2017
During his weekly news conference, House Speaker Paul Ryan said that he Nunes has "earned my trust over many years for his integrity." Speaker Ryan admitted that Nunes is a distraction and that he fully supports his decision to step aside from the Russia investigation. Ryan added he does not believe the House Intelligence Chairman “made mistakes” in his handling of the Russian probe, and he is only stepping aside to clear himself before the Ethics.
