California Rep. Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, accused Chairman Adam Schiff of withholding information from the panel about a whistleblower complaint concerning President Trump before it became public.
California Rep. Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, accused Chairman Adam Schiff of withholding information from the panel about a whistleblower complaint concerning President Trump before it became public.
Responding to a report that revealed Schiff had earlier knowledge of the complaint from a CIA officer than previously known, Nunes called the House Democrats' impeachment inquiry a politically motivated attack on the president.
"We learn from the press today that Chm Schiff had prior knowledge and involvement in the WB complaint. He withheld this info from the American people and even from the Intel Cmte. In light of this news, it’s hard to view impeachment as anything aside from an orchestrated farce," Nunes tweeted.
Bradley Moss, who is a partner to one of the whistleblower's lawyers, Mark Zaid, told the Washington Examiner in a brief message that "sure" it would have been appropriate for Schiff to advise Nunes on what he had learned but added it was "not legally required."
According to the report on Wednesday, a colleague of the whistleblower first went to the agency's top lawyer to convey accusations that Trump abused his power by pressuring Ukraine's president to investigate Joe Biden, a political rival.
Concerned his allegations would be ignored, the whistleblower then approached a House Intelligence Committee aide with the basic facts of the upcoming complaint. The aide then shared some of what the whistleblower said to Schiff but did not divulge the identity of the CIA officer, the report said.
Schiff's office insists both the intelligence panel and the whistleblower followed proper procedure and that the whistleblower was advised to find a lawyer and file an official complaint.
Asked to react to the story during a press conference, Trump called it a "scam" and accusedSchiff of helping the whistleblower write his or her complaint.
Members of the House Intelligence Committee were reportedly briefed on the whistleblower's allegations, which stirred some doubts about Schiff's intent.
These lawmakers got the "notion" he knew about the complaint itself and the identity of the whistleblower before the complaint was made public, they told Fox News.
The Washington Examiner has reached out to other members of the panel asking about any effort Schiff took to keep them informed and will update this piece if any respond. Schiff publicly announced the existence of the complaint on Sept. 13, when he subpoenaed the acting director of national intelligence for it.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/an-orchestrated-farce-nunes-accuses-schiff-of-concealing-whistleblower-info-from-house-intelligence-committee
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