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Nunes proves to be key ally to Trump amid Russia investigation
02:54 - Source: CNN
CNN  — 

House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes blasted the Justice Department and the FBI for having “actively obstructed a congressional investigation” with what he sees as a political goal of waiting out Republican investigators.

In an interview with fellow Republican Rep. Sean Duffy, Nunes warned the Justice Department and FBI “are putting all their chips in on that the Republicans will lose the House and all of these investigations will shut down.”

“Now you would think, if you thought the Russians were colluding with the Trump campaign, and that there was this massive event taking place, to where the Russians were trying to help Donald Trump get elected and they were colluding and passing information or dumping emails in the direction of them, you would’ve thought that Congress would’ve been briefed back in 2016,” Nunes told Duffy’s “Plaidcast” podcast.

Nunes continued, “So, not only did that not happen, now Congress has said, ‘Well wait a second, we need to see what evidence you have to open this investigation, how did it start, give it all to us.’ … And it’s been like pulling teeth. It’s been very, very difficult.”

Nunes also took the opportunity to defend President Donald Trump’s remarks on special counsel Robert Mueller, saying, “you could understand why Donald Trump is very frustrated, because for a year and a half, it’s torn this country apart, (the Mueller investigation has) ruined the reputation of the Department of Justice and FBI, and they refuse to clean it up, and we’re in just a situation in this country now that it’s very, very divided because you have one party that refused to accept the results of the election.”

Nunes also saved some criticism for media coverage of the Russia probe.

“Well, the media has been horrible in this whole situation, I think what we’ve seen since the election of President Trump is what I call the 90-10 split. You have 90% of the media who are essentially an arm of the Democratic Party” and “about 5% of the journalists out there that I would say are legitimate. And that’s a problem in this country when you don’t have a free and fair media.”

Nues added, “if George W. Bush had done this to Obama, this town would’ve been on fire.”