As journalists and legal experts wade through the 17-plus pages of the executive summary and the 300 pages of the full House Intelligence Committee report released Tuesday afternoon, it’s increasingly clear the report is quite damning for the President – which we already knew – and for that committee’s Republican Ranking Member and former chairman, Devin Nunes, who is mentioned at least 48 times in the report.
Nunes over the past few years has led the charge to defend President Trump, from a late-night visit to the White House to obtain what he wrongly claimed was damning evidence of criminal activity surrounding FISA warrant unmasking – to his more recent conspiracy theories, including the lie that Ukraine and not Russia attacked the 2016 U.S. election. There’s also his latest lawsuit: after suing an imaginary cow and others, Rep. Nunes is now suing CNN for $435 million.
All that aside, let’s look at how the experts are weighing in on just how much “deep, deep trouble” Congressman Nunes may be in, as law professor and former Special Counsel at the Dept. of Defense Ryan Goodman suggests:
Attorney for indicted Giuliani “henchman” Lev Parnas points to information from Politico’s National security correspondent Natasha Bertrand:
CNN’s Manu Raju says Nunes “could be tied to effort to dig up Biden dirt”:
CNN’s Jake Tapper points to Nunes’ “contacts with Giuliani and others”:
Just Security editorial director Kate Brannen points to passages about calls between Nunes and Giuliani and others – including possibly the president – that could also spell big trouble:
Talking Points memo writer Nicole Lafond: “Nunes was in contact with Giuliani during key parts of Giuliani’s campaign to attack Yovanovitch”:
Courthouse News reporter Adam Klasfeld:
Program director at Campaign Legal Center Brendan Fischer:
Republican political strategist Rick Wilson sums up Nunes’ actions with one of Giuliani’s indicted henchmen in this colorful tweet: