Rep. Devin Nunes accused Democrats of “needlessly” stoking a prolonged “crisis” after Attorney General William Barr released his summary of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report Sunday.
As Barr would tell it, Mueller’s years-long investigation was unable to prove President Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with the Russians. In a tweet, Nunes, R-Calif., touted how the House Intelligence Committee already reached the same conclusion more than a year ago and condemned his Democratic counterparts for their unabated efforts to stoke the Trump-Russia collusion narrative.
“The Russia investigation was based on false pretenses, false intel, and false media reports. House Intel found a yr ago there was no evidence of collusion, and Democrats who falsely claim to have such evidence have needlessly provoked a terrible, more than two-year-long crisis,” Nunes said in a tweet.
The Russia investigation was based on false pretenses, false intel, and false media reports. House Intel found a yr ago there was no evidence of collusion, and Democrats who falsely claim to have such evidence have needlessly provoked a terrible, more than two-year-long crisis.
— Devin Nunes (@DevinNunes) March 24, 2019
While Nunes was chairman of the House Intelligence Committee last year, the GOP-led found no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion. Democrats argued the probe was concluded prematurely, and with the committee now being led by chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif, a revamped investigation into Trump and his inner orbit is underway.
Schiff, who has repeatedly asserted there is evidence of Trump colluding with the Russians in the cable news circuit, cast doubt on Barr’s letter, harped on how Mueller was unable to “exonerate” Trump from the specter of obstruction of justice, and called for the release of Mueller’s full report.
“Mueller spent two years investigating obstruction of justice and found evidence that ‘does not exonerate’ Trump. Barr took two days to set aside that evidence. The entire report must be published and evidence provided to Congress so the American people can judge for themselves,” Schiff said.
“Mueller did not find sufficient evidence to establish conspiracy, notwithstanding Russian offers to help Trump’s campaign, their acceptance, and a litany of concealed interactions with Russia,” he added. “I trust Mueller’s prosecutorial judgement [sic], but the country must see the evidence.”
[Read more: Pelosi, Schumer demand ‘urgent’ public release of Mueller’s full report and underlying documents]
Mueller did not find sufficient evidence to establish conspiracy, notwithstanding Russian offers to help Trump’s campaign, their acceptance, and a litany of concealed interactions with Russia.
I trust Mueller’s prosecutorial judgement, but the country must see the evidence.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) March 24, 2019
Nunes, a vocal supporter of Trump, struck a far more optimistic tone when it came to Barr.
“Thank god we finally have an attorney general, and I congratulate Attorney General Barr today, we finally have the grown-ups back in charge to get the Department of Justice back on its feet and clean out these dirty cops,” Nunes said in a Saturday afternoon interview on Fox News.
Yet, while he praised Barr, Nunes remained critical of Mueller’s report — suggesting earlier in the day he wouldn’t mind it being roasted in a fire — and the Democrats who say Mueller’s work is only a stepping stone for even more investigations into Trump, including in Congress and on the state and federal levels.
“It’s no different, Shannon, than what they’ve been saying for the last many, many years,” he said to host Shannon Bream. “So we’ve had two and a half years of this, and I have to remind everybody. Let’s not forget it is likely that this investigation started in late 2015, but for sure by early 2016 by Clinton operatives and likely people at the highest levels of the FBI and the Department of Justice. Let that sink in a second. This invest was started in late 2015, early 2016 by Clinton operatives and DOJ and FBI officials. So we have had three and a half years of this. Our counterintelligence capabilities in this country were turned against the political party. The American people should be ticked at this.”
Nunes has long pointed to certain revelations, including the use of the unverified Trump dossier by the FBI to obtain warrants to spy on onetime Trump campaign official Carter Page, as proof of an unraveling operation to undermine the president. That dossier, compiled by British ex-spy Christopher Steele, was funded in part by Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee.
Nunes also teased his soon to be submitted criminal referrals and is putting his faith in Barr to clean house at the DOJ and FBI. He additionally wants to see the full scope memo for Mueller’s investigation.
