Devin Nunes says he won't step down as chair of House Intelligence Committee

(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

last updated 28 March 2017

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters Monday he won't give in to demands from Democratic leaders that he recuse himself from the House's Russia investigation.

Nunes said he has no plans to step down, adding, "Everything is politics here," reports Voice of America's Katherine Gypson. Nunes then appeared on The O'Reilly Factor, and told host Bill O'Reilly, "I'm sure the Democrats do want me to quit because they know I'm quite effective at getting to the bottom of things."

Nunes has admitted he visited the White House grounds the day before he went to President Trump to tell him he had seen evidence that communications made by members of his transition team had been picked up incidentally by intelligence. Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in light of this, 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." House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) told CNN Nunes has a "serious responsibility to the Congress and the country," and his "discredited behavior has tarnished that office." She then called on House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to "insist that Chairman Nunes at least recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation immediately. That leadership is long overdue."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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