Schiff Complains Nunes ‘Unmasking Oversight’ Is ‘Not Helpful’ to the Russian Investigation

Tuesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, said his counterpart on the committee chairman Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) had no completely absolved himself from the committee’s investigation into allegations the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election.

Nunes had recused himself earlier this year. However, Schiff said he was still insisting on signing off on subpoenas and that he was conducting oversight into the unmasking of American citizens in raw intelligence in a way that was “not helpful” to the Russia investigation.

Partial transcript as follows:

MICHAEL SCHMIDT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Congressman, what role is Devin Nunes, the member of your committee, playing in the investigation? He had said he was going to step aside and then there were some — some notion that maybe he was still signing subpoenas and playing a role in the investigation. How involved is he, and does that concern you?

SCHIFF: Well, his only involvement in the Russia investigation, but it does concern me, is that he is still insisting on signing off on the subpoenas in the Russia investigation. That authority, by our rules, can be delegated to Mr. Conaway with consultation with myself. That’s what should have been done by now. It hasn’t been done. So that does concern me.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Why — why hasn’t it been done?

SCHIFF: He simply refuses at this point.

SCARBOROUGH: But — but — but you mean even related to the Russian investigation?

SCHIFF: Yes. Yes.

SCARBOROUGH: But he recused himself.

SCHIFF: Well — exactly.

SCARBOROUGH: But — but isn’t that — isn’t that one of the most important aspects of —

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Questions —

SCARBOROUGH: Of running an investigation, the power to subpoena witnesses?

SCHIFF: It absolutely is. And it’s indefensible. You know, the only thing I can say is, thus far we have only sought to issue four subpoenas. He did sign off on them, but it’s still inexcusable that he’s ultimately a check on what the Russia investigation can do.

BRZEZINSKI: Yes.

SCHIFF: The other part of it is, there’s this unmasking oversight going on. That is something that he is conducting. And I think some of the timing of what he has done there has been designed is helping propagate the administration’s message in a way that is not helpful to the Russia investigation.

Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor