Devin Nunes is waist-deep in Trump’s impeachment mess. But do Fresno voters care?
The more we learn about the Ukrainian-military-aid-for-political-dirt scandal enveloping Rudy Guliani, personal attorney to President Trump, the worse it looks for Devin Nunes.
Rather than participate in impeachment hearings, as Nunes did in November as ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, our congressman should be the one on the witness stand answering questions, under oath, about his exact role.
Perhaps then we’d get the truth from Nunes – if he can still recognize it.
After records released a couple months ago that Nunes and former Guliani associate Lev Parnas had spoken by phone, Nunes told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that although “it was possible” he and Parnas had talked, he did not “recall” his name.
“I will go back and check my records, but it seems very unlikely I will be taking calls from random people,” Nunes added, seemingly unaware of the irony that he wasn’t chatting with a random person.
Wednesday night, in an obvious preemptive strike shortly before a well-publicized Parnas interview aired on MSNBC, Nunes returned to his Fox News safe haven and was given the chance to alter his story.
Lo and behold, he did exactly that.
“I just didn’t know the name – this name ‘Par-nas,’ “ Nunes said, still pretending not to. “You know now that he called my cellphone and I didn’t know the name, I didn’t remember the name, but I did remember going back to where I was at the time – you can do that now, you actually know where you physically are – checked it with my records.
“It was very clear. I remember that call, which was very odd, random, talking about random things. And I said, ‘Great, talk to my staff,’ … which is standard operating procedure.”
Actually, it’s about as clear as a foggy morning in Corcoran.
Nunes didn’t say why it was “standard operating procedure” for someone under federal indictment for violating campaign finance laws to have his personal cell number.
Nor did Nunes say why he and three aides allegedly spent nearly $57,000 of taxpayer money so they could travel to Europe between November and December 2018. (I hear Kiev is lovely in late fall.)
That’s wishful thinking, of course. Not in a million years would Fox News make Nunes answer those questions on live TV.
Parnas: Nunes ‘knows who I am’
A couple hours after Nunes changed his story, Parnas shared his in an interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow.
Boy, did he.
Not only do Nunes and Parnas know each other, Parnas claimed the two have met “several times.” One of those times apparently came during Nunes’ secretive 2018 trip to Europe, when Parnas said he helped Nunes arrange meetings with various Ukrainian officials to dig up dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden, Trump’s potential opponent in the November election, and son Hunter Biden.
Knowing that Nunes was waist deep in the affair, Parnas said he “was in shock” when he watched November’s House impeachment hearings and saw the congressman seated on the dais.
When Maddow asked why that was, Parnas replied, “It’s hard to see them lie like that when you know it’s, like, that scary because you know, he was sitting there and making all statements and all that when he knew very well that he knew what was going on. He knew what was happening. He knows who I am.”
Rambling, yes, but the implication is pretty damning: Nunes knew exactly what was going on. His conspiracy-theory statements are pure obfuscation and lies.
I can practically hear Nunes’ defenders chiming in. It’s Parnas who is lying, they’ll say, in order to secure a shorter prison sentence.
Maybe so. Only a few people know for certain. Still, that doesn’t explain how Parnas acquired his phone number. Nor why Nunes didn’t mention any of this during the impeachment hearing.
And, of course, none of this explains why Nunes is so eager to cover up for Trump? Remember his slithery, late-night White House visit to disclose sensitive surveillance information? Innocent people don’t need that kind of interference.
Nunes hitched wagon to Trump, ditched Valley issues
It’s possible Nunes will face an ethics probe into his conduct and be compelled to answer these questions and others, under oath.
Unfortunately – unless I’m dead wrong – it seems less likely Nunes will face any repercussions from the people of Fresno and Tulare counties who vote him into office every other year. Blame gerrymandering, willful ignorance and the mistaken impression that Nunes is working on solutions to issues facing his district.
While hitching his wagon to Trump, Nunes ditched water storage and conveyance, air quality, immigration reform, poverty and everything else that matters around here.
“The people of the 22nd district deserve a thorough accounting of what Devin Nunes did, how much he knew, and how involved he was in working to accept campaign help from a foreign power,” Democratic candidate Bobby Bliatout said in a statement released Thursday morning.
Yes, the people of the 22nd district deserve to know all of that. Question is, will they care?
This story was updated to correct Nunes’ alleged destination in 2018.
This story was originally published January 16, 2020 at 3:54 PM.
