The following article by Isaac Stanley-Becker was posted on the Washington Post website August 9, 2018:
The Fix’s Aaron Blake analyzes the key takeaways from a secret recording of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes. (JM Rieger/The Washington Post)
Republican Rep. Devin Nunes of California, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, appears to have moved from criticizing the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election to strategizing about how to blunt its impact should it imperil President Trump.
The most promising instrument in this effort, he suggested in unfiltered remarks last month, is retaining a GOP-controlled Congress.
Even if he had been speaking publicly, the eight-term Republican might not have chosen his words differently. This, after all, is the adamantly pro-Trump lawmaker who in February released a memorandum accusing the intelligence community of conspiring against the president. In May, Nunes sought documents from the Justice Department — as part of his investigation into the law enforcement officials leading the Russia inquiry — that senior intelligence officials maintained could expose a top source and endanger lives.