Adam Schiff calls on Devin Nunes to recuse himself from Russia probe

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Monday that "after much consideration," he believes Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), the committee's chairman, should recuse himself from further involvement in the Russia investigation.

Schiff said he came to this conclusion after Nunes admitted he went to the White House grounds to meet with a source who showed him evidence about the incidental collection of communications from members of President Trump's transition team. Nunes, who was also a member of the transition team, filled Trump in on what he learned the next day. Schiff, who has worked with Nunes for several years, said this recommendation is not one he makes lightly. "But in 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," he said in a statement.

None of the committee's members on either side of the aisle have seen the documents Nunes claimed to have seen, Schiff said. "Whether the documents support the argument that names were improperly unmasked or distributed, it is impossible to judge, but one thing is very clear: There was no legitimate justification for bringing that information to the White House instead of the committee," he added. "That it was also obtained at the White House makes this departure all the more concerning. In the interests of a fair and impartial investigation whose results will be respected by the public, the chairman's recusal is more than warranted."

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