BREAKING: Trump Staffers Reportedly Helped Give House Intelligence Chair Info About Leaks
Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images
MARCH 30, 2017
On Thursday, The New York Times broke the news that two White House officials
supplied House Intelligence Chair Devin Nunes (R-CA) with mechanisms for
attaining the classified intelligence information about which he spoke last
week. According to the Times report:
supplied House Intelligence Chair Devin Nunes (R-CA) with mechanisms for
attaining the classified intelligence information about which he spoke last
week. According to the Times report:
Several current American officials identified the White House officials as Ezra Cohen-Watnick, the senior director for intelligence at the National Security Council, and Michael Ellis, a lawyer who works on national security issues at the White House Counsel’s Office and formerly worked on the staff of the House Intelligence Committee.
Cohen-Watnick worked for ousted former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn,
who was the target of intelligence leaks; after Flynn was fired, Trump refused
to get rid of Cohen-Watnick, reportedly on the advice of Steve Bannon. Ellis
worked for Nunes. It now appears that a former Flynn staffer, angered over
leaks, worked with a former staffer for Nunes to supply Nunes with information
with which to go public. Nunes’ response to the report came from director
of communications Jack Langer: “As he’s stated many times, Chairman
Nunes will not confirm or deny speculation about his source’s identity,
and he will not respond to speculation from anonymous sources.”
who was the target of intelligence leaks; after Flynn was fired, Trump refused
to get rid of Cohen-Watnick, reportedly on the advice of Steve Bannon. Ellis
worked for Nunes. It now appears that a former Flynn staffer, angered over
leaks, worked with a former staffer for Nunes to supply Nunes with information
with which to go public. Nunes’ response to the report came from director
of communications Jack Langer: “As he’s stated many times, Chairman
Nunes will not confirm or deny speculation about his source’s identity,
and he will not respond to speculation from anonymous sources.”
Nunes stated on March 22 that the intelligence community had incidentally
monitored members of the Trump transition team, and that members of
the Trump staff had been unmasked inappropriately. That report drew
quick fire from Democrats who pointed out that Nunes was a member
of Trump’s transition team; that on March 21, Nunes visited the White
House grounds to review intelligence information; that immediately after
his press conference, Nunes headed to the White House to brief Trump
personally on the intelligence reports; and that Nunes has refused to state
whether he obtained the information from members of the White House
staff. Nunes explained on Hannity last week, “I felt like I had a duty
and obligation to tell him, because, as you know, he’s taking a lot of
heat in the news media.”
monitored members of the Trump transition team, and that members of
the Trump staff had been unmasked inappropriately. That report drew
quick fire from Democrats who pointed out that Nunes was a member
of Trump’s transition team; that on March 21, Nunes visited the White
House grounds to review intelligence information; that immediately after
his press conference, Nunes headed to the White House to brief Trump
personally on the intelligence reports; and that Nunes has refused to state
whether he obtained the information from members of the White House
staff. Nunes explained on Hannity last week, “I felt like I had a duty
and obligation to tell him, because, as you know, he’s taking a lot of
heat in the news media.”
Nunes repeatedly said that his source was not a White House staffer, but
was a “whistle-blower type” according to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.
He may have been telling the truth about this source, assuming that Ellis
and Cohen-Watnick merely supplied him contact with the source. But all
of this doesn’t look squeaky clean.
was a “whistle-blower type” according to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.
He may have been telling the truth about this source, assuming that Ellis
and Cohen-Watnick merely supplied him contact with the source. But all
of this doesn’t look squeaky clean.
This leaves several unanswered questions.
Did Team Trump supply Nunes with information so as to use the House
Intelligence Committee as a sort of propaganda outfit? If not, why didn’t
Ellis and Cohen-Watnick go to Trump directly, rather than funneling the
information through Nunes?
Intelligence Committee as a sort of propaganda outfit? If not, why didn’t
Ellis and Cohen-Watnick go to Trump directly, rather than funneling the
information through Nunes?
In the end, this all makes Nunes look like a tool of the White House –
even if the information he's uncovering is valuable and the activity it
exposes criminal. And it doesn’t help when Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) tells
MSNBC that Nunes’ meetings with White House officials without
informing his colleagues was peachy-keen, because “He works for
the president. He answers to the president.”
even if the information he's uncovering is valuable and the activity it
exposes criminal. And it doesn’t help when Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) tells
MSNBC that Nunes’ meetings with White House officials without
informing his colleagues was peachy-keen, because “He works for
the president. He answers to the president.”
Except he doesn’t. Nunes is an elected representative. The legislature
does not work for the president.
does not work for the president.
Unless he does. In which case, we’ve got a serious conflict of interest,
and real questions about whether Nunes should step down.
and real questions about whether Nunes should step down.
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