The words “tangled web” might have been coined to describe the mixture of contradictory claims, vague statements, unrelated issues, and plain old lies that have defined Devin Nunes’ public appearances over the last month. That was true even before he jumped from a car, paid a secret visit to the White House, and held a late night confab White House officials about the best way to derail the intelligence committee’s Russia investigation.
In his snarly statement on Thursday morning, Nunes opened with a claim about why he was giving up his role as the biggest roadblock to making progress in the investigation.
“Several left-wing activist groups have filed accusations against me with the Office of Congressional Ethics.”
Yeah. About that. The Office of Congressional Ethics, which Republicans attempted to eliminate earlier in the year, does accept complaints from outside groups—and some have certainly been filed about Nunes’ actions. But what Nunes is actually facing is an 18(a) investigation by the House Ethics Committee. That committee doesn’t listen to outside groups, left wing or otherwise. They deal with issues raised by other members of Congress. For Nunes to be under investigation by this committee, at least one Republican member of the committee had to agree there was an issue.
The reason that Nunes is being investigated is because of what he did twice during the day following his nighttime skulk about the White House—hold press conferences.
… he is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for allegedly disclosing intelligence without proper authorization.
Devin Nunes is under investigation for leaking classified information. That’s what his bye-bye note fails to mention.
So now we get Conaway.
A Texas lawmaker on the House intelligence committee says it wasn't just the Russians who interfered in last year's election.
Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Midland, is comparing the use of Mexican entertainers to energize Democratic voters to the email hacking that officials say was orchestrated by Vladimir Putin's government.
“Harry Reid and the Democrats brought in Mexican soap opera stars, singers and entertainers who had immense influence in those communities into Las Vegas, to entertain, get out the vote and so forth,” Conaway told The Dallas Morning News this week. “Those are foreign actors, foreign people, influencing the vote in Nevada. You don’t hear the Democrats screaming and saying one word about that.”
Obviously a completely fresh and unbiased point of view.