It seems Devin Nunes has struck a chord given the level of rhetoric roaring out of Democrat HQ tonight. After briefing The White House on the fact that Trump was "incidentally surveilled" along with his team - somewhat vindicating the President's tweets - the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said Wednesday that he has "grave concerns" over Nunes 'impartiality" and Democratic leader Pelosi exclaimed his comments were an "act of desperation and diversion" in a statement.
Trump says he feels “somewhat” vindicated by Nunes: “I very much appreciated the fact that they found what they found”. pic.twitter.com/PwuEaICG2q
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) March 22, 2017
As The Hill reports, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) criticized Nunes for his surprise announcement earlier in the day that he had seen intelligence intercepts that showed authorities had incidentally gathered information on members of the Trump transition team during investigations that the chairman said were not related to Russia.
"If accurate, this information should have been shared with members of the committee, but it has not been," Schiff said in a statement that criticized Nunes for a "profound irregularity" in how he had handled the situation.
"The Chairman also shared this information with the White House before providing it to the committee, another profound irregularity, given that the matter is currently under investigation. I have expressed my grave concerns with the Chairman that a credible investigation cannot be conducted this way," he said.
Of course MSNB was more than happy to host Schiff to explain how Nunes is a "White House surrogate"...
Schiff: Nunes has to decide if he's an independent investigation chair or a White House surrogate; Trump's claims as baseless today as y'day pic.twitter.com/h7NuIQeM59
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) March 22, 2017
And to raise doubts about his independence...
Schiff says what Nunes did throws the committee into doubt; says this makes a profound case for an independent commission pic.twitter.com/wnSuwJOhzB
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) March 22, 2017
And even better, to deny Clapper, Comey, and everyone else's admissins that there is no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion and claim that he has new evidence - "I can't go into the particulars, but there is more than circumstantial evidence now"...
NEWS: Schiff tells @ChuckTodd: “there is more than circumstantial evidence now…there is evidence that is not circumstantial” —@MeetThePress pic.twitter.com/s6ETKA1hyT
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) March 22, 2017
Schiff maintained that if Trump and his aides ended up in a lawfully compiled intelligence report, they were likely not the subjects of surveillance. Then Schiff issued a statement for good effect:
"This afternoon, Chairman Devin Nunes announced he had some form of intercepts revealing that lawfully gathered intelligence on foreign officials included information on U.S. Persons, potentially including those associated with President Trump or the President himself. If accurate, this information should have been shared with members of the committee, but it has not been. Indeed, it appears that committee members only learned about this when the Chairman discussed the matter this afternoon with the press. The Chairman also shared this information with the White House before providing it to the committee, another profound irregularity, given that the matter is currently under investigation. I have expressed my grave concerns with the Chairman that a credible investigation cannot be conducted this way.
"As to the substance of what the Chairman has alleged, if the information was lawfully gathered intelligence on foreign officials, that would mean that U.S. persons would not have been the subject of surveillance. In my conversation late this afternoon, the Chairman informed me that most of the names in the intercepted communications were in fact masked, but that he could still figure outthe probable identity of the parties. Again, this does not indicate that there wasany flaw in the procedures followed by the intelligence agencies. Moreover, the the probable identity of the parties. Again, this does not indicate that there wasany flaw in the procedures followed by the intelligence agencies. Moreover, the any flaw in the procedures followed by the intelligence agencies. Moreover, the unmasking of a U.S. Person's name is fully appropriate when it is necessary to understand the context of collected foreign intelligence information.
"Because the committee has still not been provided the intercepts in the possession of the Chairman, it is impossible to evaluate the Chairman's claims.
It certainly does not suggest -- in any way -- that the President was wiretapped by certainly does not suggest -- in any way -- that the President was wiretapped by his predecessor."
Then Democratic Party leader Nancy Pelosi chimed in with the following statement:
Pelosi Statement on Intelligence Chairman Nunes' Meeting with President Trump
Washington, D.C. — Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released this statement after Chairman Nunes' comments to the press following his meeting with President Trump at the White House:
"The unprecedented comments of Chairman Nunes are an act of diversion and desperation. The Chairman's highly irregular conduct with the White House raises serious questions about his impartiality, especially given his history as part of the Trump Transition team. Abandoning any pretense of bipartisanship, Chairman Nunes raced to the White House and to the press to perpetuate the Trump Administration's misinformation campaign.
"The unmasking of legally intercepted intelligence is often appropriate and necessary to understand the context of foreign intelligence information. Chairman Nunes' actions are disrespectful of Ranking Member Schiff and the bipartisan membership of the Intel Committee. Republicans are grasping at straws because the FBI Director confirmed that President Obama did not wiretap President Trump, and affirmed an investigation of coordination between the Russians and individuals affiliated with the Trump campaign in the election.
"Chairman Nunes is deeply compromised, and he cannot possibly lead an honest investigation. Congress must create a comprehensive, independent, bipartisan commission to expose the full truth of the Trump-Russia connection."
And finally, a Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday pushed back on revelations from the panel's Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), saying his claims of incidental U.S. surveillance of members of President Trump's transition team were "trumped up."
"If, in fact, this took place, it was incidental and it was done through what is legally allowed by the CIA when they are surveilling foreign persons," Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) said during an appearance on MSNBC.
"This could be a lot of theater – it looks very trumped up to me – but we'll have to wait and see," she added.
Seems like Mr. Nunes - who we are sure will be discovered to have had contact with some Russian official or other very soon - has hit a nerve, smashing yet another leg out from under the 1-legged stool of the Democrat narrative.