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Who Did He Meet? What Did He See? Nunes Pressed to Step Aside in Russia Probe

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WASHINGTON – The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee says he's not stepping down during the panel's investigation into Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 election.

Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., asked reporters, "Why would I?" and dismissed the calls from lawmakers for him to step down as "a lot of politics."

Nunes is facing pressure from Democrats to recuse himself from the probe after he went to the White House to review intelligence critical to a bipartisan congressional investigation on Russia.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., says Nunes must explain why he went to the White House alone to review the secret reports.

"I've been around for quite a while, and I've never heard of any such thing," said McCain.

A spokesman for Nunes said the congressman did so because the classified documents still belonged to the executive branch and couldn't be moved. Democrats say they should have been invited and briefed on the same specifics.

Nunes claimed there is evidence of incidental federal surveillance of Trump associates during the 2016 presidential campaign. However, he hasn't said where he got the information other than acknowledging he was briefed on the details at the White House.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., expressed confidence in Rep. Nunes, saying there is no need for him to resign and that he should continue to lead the panel's probe into Russian contacts with Trump associates.

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About The Author

Ben
Kennedy

Ben Kennedy is an Emmy Award-winning White House correspondent for CBN News in Washington, D.C. He has more than a decade of reporting experience covering breaking news nationwide. He's traveled cross country covering the President and scored exclusive interviews with lawmakers and White House officials. Kennedy spent seven years reporting for WPLG, the ABC affiliate in Miami, Florida. While there he reported live from Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Matthew hit the island. He was the first journalist to interview Diana Nyad moments after her historic swim from Cuba to Key West. He reported