Democrats aren’t backing down on their commitment to give the American people a fair and independent investigation into Donald Trump’s ties to Russia, with ranking Democrat Adam Schiff of the House Intelligence Committee now urging the GOP committee chairman Devin Nunes to recuse himself from the probe.
Video from MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews:
In a statement released earlier, Schiff said, “I believe that [Nunes] should recuse himself from any further involvement in the Russia investigation, as well as any involvement in oversight of matters pertaining to any incidental collection of the Trump transition, as he was also a key member of the transition team.”
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“This is not a recommendation I make lightly, as the Chairman and I have worked together well for several years,” Schiff said.
The statement comes after Nunes tried to give Trump political cover last week by revealing irrelevant information – from the White House, mind you – that the intelligence community picked up incidental evidence from the Trump transition team.
The information does nothing to vindicate Trump’s insane claim about President Barack Obama wiretapping Trump Tower, but it gave the president just enough cover to claim he was right all along.
The high-ranking Democrat went on to say that Nunes has compromised himself when it comes to the Russian investigation in the same way Attorney General Jeff Sessions did when he lied during his confirmation hearing.
Schiff said: “In much the same way that the Attorney General was forced to recuse himself from the Russia investigation after failing to inform the Senate of his meetings with Russian officials, I believe the public cannot have the necessary confidence that matters involving the President’s campaign or transition team can be objectively investigated or overseen by the Chairman.”
Clearly, Democrats are not rolling over when it comes to keeping Russia front and center until the American people get the answers they deserve.
Republicans in Congress continue to make it their priority to protect Trump instead of getting to the bottom of what is potentially the biggest scandal in American history. It’s increasingly clear not just that Nunes should remove himself from this inquiry, but also that an independent commission is needed to make sure the investigation is fair and thorough.
Democrats need to keep the heat on Republicans and urge them to put country, not party, first.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
