Current Events > Nunes buried evidence of Russian meddling to protect Trump

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https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/op-ed/article219558065.html

No one really expected President Donald Trump, who benefited from Russias 2016 election interference, to counter that hostile regimes active measures: Russia wanted him to win, and when they hacked, he invited them to hack more.

But America should have been able to rely on a united Congress to ensure that our next elections arent just as vulnerable if not moreso. Instead, due to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes persistent and pernicious obstruction, America has been spectacularly let down.

Just last week, hours before the Republican-led House recessed for six weeks, Nunes broke out his shovel yet again to bury even deeper the evidence of Russian interference, once again demonstrating theres no distance he wont go to protect this president.

Nunes and committee Republicans had promised that the American people would see our interview transcripts after the investigation was completed. When they abruptly ended the investigation without calling dozens of relevant witnesses, they voted to conceal the transcripts.

Suddenly, last month, Nunes agreed to release them. Perhaps he was worried about the burgeoning campaign of his Democratic opponent a local prosecutor named Andrew Janz, whose argument to the voters includes powerful evidence of Nunes efforts to poison the Russia investigation.

But predictably, at a hearing last week on releasing the transcripts, Nunes still wouldnt allow real transparency.

Committee Democrats asked to immediately send the transcripts to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who hasnt been allowed to see them under Nunes rules. Theres good reason to believe many witnesses committed perjury or offered information relevant to the special counsels work. But Nunes opposed it, and it was voted down.

Committee Democrats then moved to have the transcripts released to the public immediately after a 10-day intelligence community review to avoid any selective release or other political manipulation. Again, Nunes opposed this.

This is his modus operandi. Though incomplete due to Republican obstruction, our investigation did reveal worrisome contacts between the Russians and candidate Trump, his family, his businesses, and his campaign. Yet every time we sought to learn more, we were blocked.

We sought to test witnesses accounts by subpoenaing third-party records such as cell phone, bank and travel records. Republicans refused to allow it.

To arrange the infamous June 9, 2016 Trump Tower meeting, Donald Trump Jr. called his Russian contact, then called a blocked number, and then called his Russian contact back. We had evidence from other witnesses that Donald Trump used a blocked number. Republicans refused to pursue whether it was the same number.

The Republicans ran a take them at their word investigation when most of the Trump team clearly didnt deserve that benefit of the doubt. So at last weeks hearing, I moved to subpoena many of the records that could fill a lot of the gaps. Nunes nixed it.

Reviewing his plans, we saw a glaring omission: the transcript of Congressman Dana Rohrabachers interview. I took part in that lengthy interview and I was disturbed by his contacts with Russia before and during the 2015-16 campaign. So Democrats at our hearing moved to release Rohrabachers transcript, plus several others; Nunes killed our effort. Hes burying that transcript to protect his friend also in a tight re-election battle against Harley Rouda in Orange County just as he has protected President Trump.

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The Nunes fix was in from the very start. Soon after 2016s election, as we began to see the breadth of Russias interference, I had approached him with an idea: Lets have an independent commission look at what the Russians did, just as we had after the Sept. 11 attacks.

We can handle this on the committee, Nunes insisted. I was doubtful, but I never expected that by handle, he meant bury.

Were not helpless. A new Congress consisting of people who put fair elections and the rule of law above party can restore our democracy.

Thats why I support Andrew Janz: not because hes anyone but Nunes, but because as a prosecutor, he knows that upholding the law is most important.

Dont get me wrong: Im not giving up on Republicans. Many have told me privately that they knew Nunes and Trump were dead wrong, but they wouldnt speak out for fear of incurring the presidents Twitter wrath. When he tweets, he wins, one told me.

In November, lets show the president, and congressional enablers like Nunes, that we will not be bullied. And when Democrats hold the majority, it will be our responsibility to unite with any Republicans willing to defend this great nation.

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We finally got him boys!
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Kazi1212 posted...

We finally got him boys!

Stop trolling
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No puppet! No puppet! You're the puppet!

That sucks. Too bad it's illegal to prosecute a sitting president.
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Oh, well, we live in a republican controlled dictatorship now and possibly for the next 50 years so who cares anymore? Democracy died the moment Trump won anyway
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tremain07 posted...

Democracy died the moment Trump won anyway

wut

Trump won fairly
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I mean, this isn't exactly surprising. Grapefruit fucker Nunes has been one of the leading treason weasels in the House since this debacle started.
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Nunes is fucked once the Dems take back the House, and he knows it too. I guarantee the HIC under Democratic control will launch an investigation of his handling of matters relating to the Russian investigation, and the dude is completely dirty as hell. It's only a matter of time for Devin
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Kazi1212 posted...

We finally got him boys!

Triggered much? First post, kinda sad.
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spudger posted...

Kazi1212 posted...

We finally got him boys!

Triggered much? First post, kinda sad.

Its sad that Im happy justice is being done?
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tremain07 posted...

Oh, well, we live in a republican controlled dictatorship now and possibly for the next 50 years so who cares anymore? Democracy died the moment Trump won anyway

America wasnt a democracy before
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Dont get me wrong: Im not giving up on Republicans. Many have told me privately that they knew Nunes and Trump were dead wrong, but they wouldnt speak out for fear of incurring the presidents Twitter wrath.

I've given up on nearly all Republican officials above the city council level. If they aren't going to step up and speak out when our Democracy is in crisis then what good are they? Aside from maybe Kasich and Romney, the current crop of Republican leaders are useless at best, traitors (like Nunes) at worst.
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Bro, Romney is not a good person.
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For the sake of argument, did Nunes describe the reasons for changing his mind/not wanting to disclose?

P4wn4g3 posted...

Bro, Romney is not a good person.

No dispute about that, but I still place him in a different category than most other current Republican elected officials who are on my no-vote list for life. My disagreements with Romney are mostly on policy and he hasn't been complicit in the Trump regime. He's got serious baggage but he's not an unequivocal "no" for me.
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shockthemonkey posted...

Nunes is fucking scum

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Lmao still whining about Russia or whatever?

Give it a rest, trolls.
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Romney, Obama, McCain, Hillary, Bernie, etc. they are not good persons.
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