The Republican is now officially being probed for what he was so worked up about: allegedly disclosing classified intelligence.
Rep. Devin Nunes said Thursday he is stepping aside as chairman of the House intelligence committee because he is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for allegedly disclosing intelligence without proper authorization.
"The charges are entirely false and politically motivated, and are being leveled just as the American people are beginning to learn the truth about the improper unmasking of the identities of U.S. citizens and other abuses of power," Nunes said in a statement, adding the charges against him are "baseless."
Nunes said last month he had come into posession of classified information showing Trump transition team members were "incidentally collected" by U.S. intelligence and improperly "unmasked." Nunes made his claim, so far unsubstantiated, following a late-night trip to the White House where he reportedly met with senior administration officials who played a role in giving him classified information. (Nunes maintains they were not his original source.)
Rep. Mike Conaway, a Republican, will take Nunes's position as chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
The Ethics Committee is truly bipartisan, with an equal number of Democrats and Republicans. The 18a investigation, as its known, has subpoena power and may also look into what Nunes told Speaker Paul Ryan as well as President Donald Trump when he briefed them, respectively, following his March 22 press conference.
Ryan said Nunes staying on would be a "distraction" for the investigation into Russia's interference in the election and possible collusion with Trump's team. Ryan earlier expressed support for Nunes.
"He continues to have that trust, and I know he is eager to demonstrate to the Ethics Committee that he has followed all proper guidelines and laws," Ryan said in a statement. "In the meantime, it is clear that this process would be a distraction for the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russian interference in our election. Chairman Nunes has offered to step aside as the lead Republican on this probe, and I fully support this decision."
Nunes had not briefed Rep. Adam Schiff, his Democratic counterpart on the committee, before running to Ryan and Trump. That decision blew up an already strained committee, leading to recriminations from Democrats that Nunes was acting like a presidential pawn. The committee's downward spiral led to suspended hearings on the Russia probe, putting the onus on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
