For two years, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) eagerly served as President Donald Trump’s servile lapdog, carrying water for the White House as it related to congressional investigations of Russia’s attack on the 2016 election.
But now, with Democrats in control of the House of Representatives — including the House Intelligence Committee Nunes once chaired — the California Republican has next to no power and cannot block investigations of Trump.
However, Nunes now has a much larger problem than irrelevancy.
Intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) announced yesterday that his committee would expand its probe of Trump, Russia, the 2016 election, and the possibility that Trump has taken money in exchange for favors in the area of foreign policy. As CNN reports:
“In a statement, Schiff said the investigation would include a continued probe into Russia’s actions during the 2016 election and contacts between the Russia and Trump’s team, as well as an examination of “whether any foreign actor has sought to compromise or holds leverage, financial or otherwise, over Donald Trump, his family, his business, or his associates.”
The overall investigation will be conducted on five tracks, the first four of which all pertain to Trump what control the Kremlin may have over him. But the fifth one should be of special concern to Nunes. It reads:
“(5) Whether any actors – foreign or domestic – sought or are seeking to impede, obstruct, and/or mislead authorized investigations into these matters, including those in the Congress.”
“Including those in the Congress.” Translation: If any member of Congress tried to hinder the investigations being conducted into the 2016 election, they will also be placed under a microscope to see what ties they might have to Russia and what actions they may have taken to obstruct the probe.
Keep in mind that Schiff has also announced that the House Intelligence Committee is cooperating and sharing information with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, so Nunes and other Trump lackeys in the GOP may well be facing criminal indictment by one of Mueller’s grand juries.
Devin Nunes is in very deep shit, and things are only going to get even worse for him.