WASHINGTON, DC — Devin Nunes (R-CA) on Wednesday lambasted the “partisan extremist” Democrats for weaponizing the powerful House Intelligence Committee to oust President Donald Trump, adding they helped “cook up” the “whistleblower” complaint to advance their impeachment agenda.
Nunes, the top ranking Republican on the House intel panel, accused Democrats of waging a “scorched earth political warfare on the other party” during his opening remarks, adding:
The Democrats have exploited the intelligence committee for political purposes for three years culminating in these impeachment herrings and their mania to attack the president. No conspiracy theory is too outlandish for the Democrats.
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Clearly, these ludicrous accusations don’t reflect committee members who are honestly searching for the truth. They’re the actions of partisan extremists who hijacked the intelligence committee, transformed it into the impeachment committee, abandoned its oversight functions, and turned it into a beachhead for ousting an elected president from office.
His comments came during the public hearing during which U.S. ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland is expected to testify.
There has been friction between Trump and the intelligence community since the Russia collusion hoax began, prompting allegations that there could be plenty of “deep state” agents within the intel agencies. The allegedly partisan “whistleblower” who sparked the impeachment inquiry hailed from the intelligence community.
Nunes proclaimed during the hearing:
The Democrats have zeroed in on an anonymous whistleblower complaint that was cooked up in cooperation with the Democrats on this very committee. They lied to the American people about that cooperation and refused to let us question the whistleblower and discover the truth.
Meanwhile, the Democrats lash out to anyone who questions or lashes out on this [impeachment] spectacle. When Ukrainian President [Volodymyr] Zelensky denies that anything wrong happened on that [July 25] phone call, the Democrats call him a liar. When journalists report Ukraine election meddling and [former Vice President Joe Biden’s son] Hunter Biden’s position on the board of corrupt Ukrainian companies, the Democrats label them conspiracy theorists. When the Democrats can’t get any traction for their allegations of quid pro quo, they move the goal post and accuse the president of extortion, the bribery, and at last resort obstruction of justice.
During their public hearing on Tuesday, former National Security Council (NSC) Russia expert Tim Morrison and former U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker denied that any extortion or bribery had taken place during Trump’s dealings with Ukraine.
The “whistleblower” complaint that triggered the impeachment probe accuses Trump of abusing his power by pressuring Zelensky during a July 25 call to investigate corruption allegations against Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Trump, Zelensky, Volker, and other impeachment inquiry witnesses have denied the allegations. Other witnesses, however, have presumed that a quid pro quo did take place during the July 25 call.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA), the lead impeachment inquisitor, lied about meeting with the “whistleblower” before he filed the complaint, a move that has raised concerns of coordination. Some news outlets have described the leaker as an anti-Trump partisan. The “whistleblower” may have broken the law by meeting with Schiff and/or his staff.
Some impeachment probe witnesses have said there are merits to corruption allegations linked to Hunter Biden, suggesting that Trump was right to ask for an investigation from Ukraine.
Combating corruption in Ukraine is a significant component of U.S. policy.
Hunter worked for allegedly corrupt Ukrainian company Burisma from 2014 to April of this year. At the time that Burisma hired him, former VP Biden was spearheading U.S. policy towards Ukraine. Biden pressured Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor who had investigated the Burisma owner, prompting accusations of corruption.
The Obama administration knew Burisma and its owner were corrupt but allowed Hunter to work there anyway.