Nunes threatens Sessions over classified Russia materials
Congressman Devin Nunes wants to hold Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt of Congress for failing to hand over classified materials related to the Russia investigation, CNN reported on Sunday.
Nunes, the House Intelligence Committee chairman, hasn't said what information he is seeking, but while on "Fox and Friends" on Sunday, he said it was "very important." He wants to urge lawmakers this week to hold Sessions in contempt.
"We're just not going to take this nonsense of every time we peel something back, every time we need information, we get ignored, we get stalled or stonewalled," Nunes said.
According to a letter obtained by CNN, the Justice Department told Nunes three days ago that exposing information about a "specific individual" could prove harmful to national security.
"Disclosure of responsive information to such requests can risk severe consequences, including potential loss of human lives, damage to relationships with valued international partners, compromise of ongoing criminal investigations, and interference with intelligence activities," the letter, written by Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd, read.
The Republican-led House Intelligence Committee last month released a lengthy report concluding it found no evidence that Donald Trump's campaign colluded with Russia in the 2016 presidential campaign, drawing praise from the president and rebuttals from Democrats, the Associated Press reported.
The report capped an investigation that began with the promise of bipartisanship but quickly transformed into an acrimonious battle between Democrats and Republicans over Russia's meddling in the 2016 election and whether there were any connections with the Trump campaign.
This story was originally published May 6, 2018 at 1:45 PM with the headline "Nunes threatens Sessions over classified Russia materials."