A new report from the House Intelligence Committee details extensive communication between Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) around the same time that Giuliani and Trump were trying to pressure Ukraine to investigate Trump’s political rivals.
The report shows that Nunes had multiple phone calls with Giuliani immediately following the publication of false articles written by John Solomon, a former columnist for The Hill, that detailed the now debunked allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden and later a smear campaign against now-former Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.
Nunes was also in contact with Lev Parnas, a Giuliani associate who was indicted on campaign finance charges earlier this year.
Looks like Devin #Nunes is in deep, deep trouble.
— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) December 3, 2019
Comprehensive list of call records listed in #ImpeachmentReport
Nunes/senior aide Derek Harvey calls
with
Giuliani and indicted Lev Parnas, who were engaged in disinformation campaign and Ukraine dirt on Bidens. pic.twitter.com/n0bKgBnpIX
The report doesn’t say what was said on those phone calls. However, House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff seemed to suggest Tuesday that the calls may mean Nunes was involved in the scheme to pressure Ukraine into investigating Trump’s political rivals by withholding military aid to the country and dangling the possibility of a White House visit, which would have benefited Ukraine significantly.
“It is deeply concerning that at a time when the president of the United States was using the power of his office to dig up dirt on a political rival, that there may be evidence that there were members of Congress complicit in that activity,” Schiff said during a press conference.
Schiff did not directly mention Nunes by name.
Tuesday’s development emerged as the House Intelligence Committee concluded its public impeachment hearings, during which Nunes acted as Trump’s attack dog, smearing Schiff, trying to out the whistleblower, and pushing debunked conspiracy theories about Ukraine to defend Trump’s behavior.
After the hearings ended, CNN reported that Nunes had met with a former Ukrainian prosecutor to dig up dirt on Biden — the very issue that is at the heart of the impeachment probe.
Nunes has since sued CNN for defamation in connection that report.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
