Nunes bows out of Russian election meddling probe

The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee announced this morning he will step aside—temporarily—from the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., resisted calls to recuse himself after he shared with President Donald Trump classified information about surveillance during the campaign. Lawmakers from both parties said Nunes should have taken the information to his committee before revealing it to the White House and the press. During Nunes’ absence, Reps. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., and Tom Rooney, R-Fla., will take over the investigation. Nunes, who will retain other committee duties, said complaints filed by “several left-wing activist groups” with the Office of Congressional Ethics made it impossible to continue his role in the investigation. But he’s also facing a House Ethics Committee probe, which could have more serious consequences. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., reiterated his support for Nunes this morning but said he agreed with his decision to remove himself from the Russia investigation.