House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) says he’s still overseeing an investigation into allegations that former national security adviser Susan Rice pushed for certain U.S. citizens to be identified in intelligence reports.
Nunes told Fox News on Friday that he remains “very concerned” about accusations that Rice asked for the identities of certain U.S. citizens incidentally surveilled by intelligence agencies to be “unmasked” in reports delivered to her.
Nunes defended his role in the investigation into Rice’s actions as separate from his recusal on the House’s investigation into Russia’s meddling in the U.S. presidential election.
“I’m still read into everything,” Nunes said. “What I’ve done, because I thought it was appropriate, as long as there’s going to be these bogus charges against me, until that got cleared up, I was just going to set the Russia investigation aside.”
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“But everything else, I’m still in charge of,” Nunes continued, “especially the unmasking.”
Rice came under scrutiny from Republicans after reports that she asked for the normally-hidden identities of U.S. citizens alleged to be connected to President Trump’s campaign be unmasked.
Rice maintained that she did not act inappropriately, saying the unmasking requests were “not uncommon” and “absolutely not for any political purpose, to spy, expose, anything.”
Nunes said Friday that the committee’s investigation into the unmasking is “just beginning.”
“I remain very concerned about it,” Nunes said. “We’re going to have to have some major changes to federal law as it relates to how intelligence is collected and who can unmask that intelligence.”
Nunes recused himself from the committee’s investigation into Russian meddling in the election last month amid a House ethics probe into whether he divulged classified information. Earlier this week, questions were raised about Nunes’ apparent ongoing role in the investigation.