The fecal matter hit the ventilation system in late March when House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes publicly revealed certain aspects of the bipartisan group’s investigation. Specifically, he discussed the committee’s inquiries into alleged ties between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia, and whether or not former President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower, during a press conference. Not only did Nunes’ actions precede his sharing any of the relevant information with his Democratic colleagues, but subsequent reports also revealed they were prefaced by “secret meetings” with White House sources.
Despite the massive amounts of crap he took in the press, which ultimately led to him stepping away from the Trump-Russia investigation, Nunes stuck to his guns. Democrats, he argued, weren’t “really serious” about the investigation. According to a new CNN report, however, it seems what Nunes repeatedly claimed and what the classified documents he consulted actually reveal don’t match up — especially when it comes to what Obama’s National Security Advisor Susan Rice did or didn’t do:
One congressional intelligence source described the requests made by Rice as “normal and appropriate” for officials who serve in that role to the president.
And another source said there’s “absolutely” no smoking gun in the reports, urging the White House to declassify them to make clear there was nothing alarming in the documents.
Throughout the past week, Democratic and Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee — along with several aides and staff members — have reviewed the relevant documents at the NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland. As a result of these official, closed-door inquiries, sources from both parties told CNN they “have so far found no evidence that Obama administration officials did anything unusual or illegal.”
Despite these assurances, however, the report notes other members of Congress still have concerns about the Obama administration’s alleged surveillance of the Trump campaign. Then again, as should become quite clear considering the above information from CNN’s sources, none of those who continue to trumpet the baseless accusations were in Fort Meade reviewing the actual intelligence.
(Via CNN)