Devin Nunes (R-Calif.; shown at right), the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, blasted the committee’s chairman, Adam Schiff (D- Calif.; left), for what Nunes called an “alarming” disregard of House rules in a letter dated December 6.
Nunes complained that Schiff violated House Resolution 660 when he transferred the Intelligence Committee’s findings relating to its impeachment inquiry to the House Judiciary Committee without first consulting Nunes.
“Pursuant to Section 3 of House Resolution 660 (H. Res. 660), the ‘chair of the Permanent Select Committee or the chair of any other committee having custody of records or other materials relating to the inquiry referenced in the first section of this resolution is authorized, in consultation with the ranking minority member, to transfer such records or materials to the Committee on the Judiciary.” (Emphasis in original.)
“As the Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee, I received no consultation prior to the transfer of materials,” Nunes wrote. “Accordingly, I demand that you immediately provide me a full accounting of documents that were provided to the Committee on the Judiciary.”
Nunes went on: “Your consistent and blatant disregard for the rules is alarming. I can see no reason for you to continue to ignore these rules, which the Democrat majority put in place, other than to meet a bogus deadline of impeaching the president by Christmas.”
Schiff has been under fire from Republicans for his heavy-handed and secretive tactics in the Intelligence Committee’s investigation of accusations that that President Trump used coercion against Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky — allegedly withholding a foreign aid package — in order to pressure Ukraine to open an investigation regarding Hunter Biden’s relationship with Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company that paid former Vice-President Joe Biden’s son an exorbitant amount of money for “consulting” services.
A White House meeting between Zelensky and Trump was also said to be contingent on the announcement of a Ukrainian investigation into the relationship between Burisma and the Bidens.
“I urge you to put an immediate end to your vendetta against the President, stop your rule breaking, and begin treating this committee and its oversight responsibilities with the seriousness they deserve,” Nunes concluded.
The efforts of the Intelligence Committee yielded a report last week, which they claim “uncovered a months-long effort by President Trump to use the powers of his office to solicit foreign interference on his behalf in the 2020 election.”
House Resolution 660 is not the only point of contention between Schiff and Nunes currently ongoing. In his efforts to impeach the president, Schiff subpoenaed and released the phone records of several people who might have spoken to Lev Parnas, an associate of President Trump’s lawyer Rudy Guliani, who is currently under indictment for campaign-finance violations. Among those people was Schiff’s Intelligence Committee rival Nunes.
“I’m in California, so for sure, state law, you cannot release somebody’s phone records. So, for sure that right has been violated,” Nunes told Fox News.
Nunes is considering legal action against Schiff for the release of his private phone records.
During today’s hearings, Republicans badgered Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) for a minority hearing day, in which the Republicans could call their own witnesses. One of the main witnesses that the GOP hopes to have testify is Schiff himself, who has acted in the “Ken Starr” role during this impeachment circus.
“Mr. Schiff should testify. Chairman Schiff, not his staff, must appear before this committee to answer questions about the content of his report,” said Representative Doug Collins (R-Ga.), the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee.
Starr testified in front of Congress. Maybe it’s time to get Schiff under oath to testify in defense of his secretive and rule-breaking ways during this dog-and-pony show that the House is calling an impeachment investigation.
Photo of Reps. Adam Schiff and Devin Nunes: AP Images
