House Ethics Committee clears Devin Nunes, opens investigation into Blake Farenthold

(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

published 8 December 2017

When one case closes, another opens.

The House Ethics Committee on Thursday announced that it has determined Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) did not reveal any classified information related to the House investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. A complaint was filed in April after Nunes, who was leading the probe, told reporters he received intelligence reports that included the names of members of the Trump transition team, and thinking this wasn't fair, he briefed President Trump about what he saw. He was criticized and later revealed he received the information at the White House. Nunes said he would step away from leading the investigation but never recused himself, and he has not said if he plans on taking back control of the investigation.

The committee also said on Thursday it is launching an investigation into Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas), who used $84,000 in taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former member of his staff. They will look into whether he did sexually harass her, if he discriminated against her because of her gender, and if he made inappropriate comments to other members of his staff. At least one Republican lawmaker, Rep. Mia Love of Utah, is calling on Farenthold to resign.

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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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