Nunes Seems To Validate Some of Trump Spy Claim, But Why?

House Intelligence Committee chairman’s statement spurs committee’s top Democrat to redouble calls for an independent probe.

The Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee ignited a new battle over President Donald Trump’s claims that he was spied on by the Obama administration, saying that U.S. intelligence agencies intercepted information about people involved in the Trump transition team.

Rep. Devin Nunes (R., Calif.), who is leading a congressional investigation into alleged Russian interference in U.S. elections, shared his information with the media and Mr. Trump before he gave it to other members of his committee. The move drew criticism from members of the committee in the House and Senate, and prompted the ranking Democrat on the panel to redouble his push for an independent investigator to take over the Russia probe.

Mr. Nunes, who offered little public evidence for his disclosures other than reports provided by sources he declined to name, said the surveillance of the incoming president’s team appeared to be due to what is called “incidental” collection, meaning that Trump transition officials whose information was intercepted weren’t the intended targets. He added it was “possible” the president himself had some of his communication intercepted, though he declined to elaborate on what sort of information the intelligence agencies collected and how it was collected.

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