Going all the way back to the Russia collusion hoax, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), House Intelligence Committee chairman and one of the leaders of the current impeachment inquiry, has had a true nemesis in Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA). Every underhanded tactic Schiff has attempted, Nunes has countered.
It now appears that trend is going to continue, because Nunes has announced that he is looking to bring legal action against Schiff for surreptitiously obtaining and exposing his phone records and those of several others, Fox News reports.
Schiff on notice
Nunes offered a warning to Schiff about his intentions this past weekend on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures. “We’re putting together a legal team,” he revealed.
According to Nunes, Schiff has used his position as Intelligence Committee chairman and Ukraine investigation leader to obtain the phone records of anyone who has had even the slightest contact with some of the key figures in the matter.
“He subpoenaed digits, basically and then in there, once he had all this data, then he ran my phone number and pulled out my calls that I had,” Nunes explained.
But he also, I think more concerning than just me, he did it to the president’s personal lawyer and a journalist. And I think this is what’s most wrong about this, I mean, the whole thing is just sickening, but he did it to one of my current staff members and one of my former staff members who he doesn’t like, him and his team.
According to Nunes, Schiff’s motivation for obtaining the records was not grounded in concern over conducting appropriate due diligence. Rather, he argues, Schiff took this particular action because Nunes is among the key figures who shed light on Schiff’s pattern of dishonesty during the Russia collusion probe.
“They don’t like the fact that we exposed them for the Russia hoax that they were involved in,” Nunes asserted.
Legal battle brewing
The phone records that Schiff obtained, according to Nunes, likely extend far beyond Nunes and his staff. For this reason, Nunes cautioned Republicans in Congress and others he believes may have cause for worry, stating that Schiff is looking to weaponize the records he has secured, according to The Hill.
“I think the Republican members of Congress, they have to be concerned because if they ever spoke to any of these people, their records could be released,” Nunes said. “And I think journalists should be concerned because if journalists ever spoke to Rudy Giuliani at any time that the Democrats decide they don’t like what a journalist has done or another member of Congress, they can just release these.”
Because this is against the law, according to Nunes, he and his legal team are currently looking to take action.
“I’m a Californian: For sure, state law, you cannot release somebody’s phone records, so, for sure, that right has been violated,” Nunes said.
So we’re going to — but we will also have to look at the constitutional aspects of this. Do all the members of Congress have a right to privacy, and just one member, because he doesn’t like someone and he’s a political opponent of someone, can that member just subpoena records and then release to embarrass or to create a distraction or to build whatever fantasyland narrative that they continue to build.
Schiff had better prepare himself, as it seems that Nunes is determined to make sure that he gets his day of reckoning. For the way he has gone about things throughout Trump’s time in office, Schiff certainly deserves it.
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