House GOP lawmaker: Senate should run Russia probe

Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) says the Senate Intelligence Committee should lead the probe into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election following controversy over its House counterpart.

“It’s unfortunate where we are in the House,” Dent said Wednesday on “CNN Newsroom.” “It seems like there’s not going to be a House report on intelligence, on the Russian meddling.”

“My sense right now is that the House is in a situation where the issue has become overly politicized,” Dent continued. “It doesn’t seem like there’s much cooperation on either side.”

{mosads}”I think the Senate is moving on a better trajectory,” he added. “I think we’re going to have to rely on the Senate for a report on this Russian meddling in the election.”

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) has been under fire from Democrats since last week, when he briefed President Trump about claims that the U.S. intelligence community had incidentally collected information on Trump’s transition team.

It was revealed on Monday that Nunes, who served on Trump’s transition team, secretly visited White House grounds last week the day before revealing the claims.

Democrats have demanded that Nunes recuse himself from his panel’s investigation of Russian intervention in the election, something the GOP chairman on Tuesday rejected.

“Why would I not [continue to lead the investigation]?” he asked reporters. “I’d like to answer your question, but I’d like to know first why that would be. Help me understand.”

Rep. Walter Jones (N.C.) on Tuesday became the first GOP lawmaker to demand Nunes’s recusal, telling The Hill that Nunes should “absolutely” step aside from the House Intelligence panel’s Russia probe.

“That’s the only way you can bring integrity to the process,” Jones said.