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DonViejo

(60,536 posts) Thu Mar 23, 2017, 06:08 PM Mar 2017

Intel chair Devin Nunes unsure if Trump associates were directly surveilled

Source: ABC News

By MIKE LEVINE
Mar 23, 2017, 5:24 PM ET

The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes, R-Calif., does not know "for sure" whether President Donald Trump or members of his transition team were even on the phone calls or other communications now being cited as partial vindication for the president’s wiretapping claims against the Obama administration, according to a spokesperson. "He said he'll have to get all the documents he requested from the intelligence community about this before he knows for sure," a spokesperson for Nunes said Thursday. Nunes was a member of the Trump transition team executive committee.

At a press conference yesterday, Nunes announced he obtained "dozens of reports" showing the U.S. intelligence community -- through its "normal foreign surveillance" -- "incidentally collected information about U.S. citizens involved in the Trump transition." But Nunes never said Trump or any of the president's associates personally participated in the communications that were intercepted.

Nevertheless, Nunes called it a "significant" development, and President Trump later said it "somewhat" vindicated his controversial Tweets two weeks ago alleging that President Obama wiretapped him and his campaign.

Based on the limited amount of information provided by Nunes so far, it's possible that foreign officials were overheard talking about Trump transition team members, one intelligence official speculated, as opposed to transition members participating directly in the communications.

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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/intel-chair-devin-nunes-unsure-trump-associates-directly/story?id=46325928

26 replies

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Intel chair Devin Nunes unsure if Trump associates were directly surveilled (Original Post) DonViejo Mar 2017 OP

I'm sure this has been asked... wcmagumba Mar 2017 #1

This message was self-deleted by its author turbinetree Mar 2017 #9

I don't believe a FISA warrant is needed to intercept the communications of foreign agents. n/t rzemanfl Mar 2017 #10

Not outside of the US metalbot Mar 2017 #24

He might just have made the entire thing up Renew Deal Mar 2017 #2

Wanted to cheer Donny up;you can sense Don's elation at the mere possibility of him being vindicated Jonny Appleseed Mar 2017 #6

Even*45 downplayed his "somewhat vindication". Marcuse Mar 2017 #14

Think he did make it up..why would you not coordinate with ur committee first. duh iluvtennis Mar 2017 #23

Plenty of nefarious reasons Renew Deal Mar 2017 #25

The idiot thought he found a smoking gun, R Merm Mar 2017 #3

Good ol' Devin "duh, I don't know!" Nunes. Plucketeer Mar 2017 #4

This is a high stakes game of poker with all the bluffings bucolic_frolic Mar 2017 #5

Mission Accomplished- the RW world heard want they wanted to hear yesterday underpants Mar 2017 #7

You have a stronger stomach than me. He's so predictable. He (and his fellow haters) Boomerproud Mar 2017 #22

So Nunes is running back and forth MontanaMama Mar 2017 #8

I hope he goes down in flames. Solly Mack Mar 2017 #11

Resign the Chairmanship. nt BumRushDaShow Mar 2017 #12

Resign from Congress. SunSeeker Mar 2017 #13

Although you are correct, he will not do it..He will not resign from the committee either. nt Stuart G Mar 2017 #15

Of course. The little turd is incapable of doing the right thing. nt SunSeeker Mar 2017 #17

I was looking at who else was on that committee BumRushDaShow Mar 2017 #18

If "Nunes was a member of the Trump transition team executive committee" isn't he ColemanMaskell Mar 2017 #16

Nunes should have recused himself from day one! There was talk of this from Dems when riversedge Mar 2017 #21

"Oh please let me stay! Please?! I'll be good from now on!" C Moon Mar 2017 #19

What did Nunes know and when did he leak it? Historic NY Mar 2017 #20

Walk it back, repuglinazi. Mc Mike Mar 2017 #26

wcmagumba

(2,892 posts)

1. I'm sure this has been asked...

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 06:13 PM

Mar 2017

but wouldn't this be classified information? I thought even revealing that a FISA court order for surveillance existed would be
releasing classified information. Hmmm...

Response to wcmagumba (Reply #1)

turbinetree This message was self-deleted by its author.

rzemanfl

(29,568 posts)

10. I don't believe a FISA warrant is needed to intercept the communications of foreign agents. n/t

Reply to wcmagumba (Reply #1)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 06:24 PM

Mar 2017

metalbot

(1,058 posts)

24. Not outside of the US

Reply to rzemanfl (Reply #10)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 08:52 PM

Mar 2017

But a warrant would be needed for inside the US. That's the whole purpose of the FISA courts: for the government to be able to offer some level of probable cause (*) that someone is a foreign agent, and to use that to get authorization. FISA courts aren't used for "normal" criminal activity.

(*) Dubious, IMHO, given that they have a refusal rate of only 2 warrants per 10,000 that they request.

Renew Deal

(81,871 posts)

2. He might just have made the entire thing up

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 06:14 PM

Mar 2017

Jonny Appleseed

(960 posts)

6. Wanted to cheer Donny up;you can sense Don's elation at the mere possibility of him being vindicated

Reply to Renew Deal (Reply #2)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 06:19 PM

Mar 2017

So you don’t feel like Comey’s testimony in any way takes away from the credibility of the tweets you put out, even with the quotes?
No, I have, look. I have articles saying it happened. But you have to take a look at what they, they just went out at a news conference. Devin Nunes had a news conference. I mean I don’t know, I was unable to see it, because I am at meetings, but they just had a news conference talking about surveillance. Now again, it is in quotes. That means surveillance and various other things. And the New York Times had a front-page story, which they actually reduced, they took it, they took it the word wiretapping out of the title, but its first story in the front page of the paper was wiretapping. And a lot of information has just been learned, and a lot of information may be learned over the next coming period of time. We will see what happens. Look. I predicted a lot of things that took a little of bit of time. Here, headline, for the front page of the New York Times, "Wiretapped data used in inquiry of Trump aides." That’s a headline. Now they then dropped that headline, I never saw this until this morning. They then dropped that headline, and they used another headline without the word wiretap, but they did mean wiretap. Wiretapped data used in inquiry. Then changed after that, they probably didn’t like it. And they changed the title. They took the wiretap word out.

http://time.com/4710456/donald-trump-time-interview-truth-falsehood/?xid=homepage

Marcuse

(7,506 posts)

14. Even*45 downplayed his "somewhat vindication".

Reply to Jonny Appleseed (Reply #6)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 06:46 PM

Mar 2017

When has he ever done anything like that?

iluvtennis

(19,871 posts)

23. Think he did make it up..why would you not coordinate with ur committee first. duh

Reply to Renew Deal (Reply #2)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 08:23 PM

Mar 2017

Renew Deal

(81,871 posts)

25. Plenty of nefarious reasons

Reply to iluvtennis (Reply #23)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 09:01 PM

Mar 2017

But if you watch him, he's making it up as he goes

R Merm

(407 posts)

3. The idiot thought he found a smoking gun,

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 06:16 PM

Mar 2017

only to realize that it was smoking because he shot himself with it, and is now trying to backtrack

Plucketeer

(12,882 posts)

4. Good ol' Devin "duh, I don't know!" Nunes.

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 06:16 PM

Mar 2017

"Here is my ass and here is my head.
I relieve myself with one and the other is dead!"

bucolic_frolic

(43,281 posts)

5. This is a high stakes game of poker with all the bluffings

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 06:17 PM

Mar 2017

It only takes one significant collusion to pass information and decide on a plan

If the Trump team wasn't involved, why were there so many contacts with several
players dating back months?

Why did the Russians decide to intervene on the side of one campaign who just happened
to have investments in their country?

Out of support for democracy? Ha.

underpants

(182,877 posts)

7. Mission Accomplished- the RW world heard want they wanted to hear yesterday

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 06:19 PM

Mar 2017

I heard Hannity's radio show a bit yesterday and he said "What did Obama know and when did he know it?"

Boomerproud

(7,964 posts)

22. You have a stronger stomach than me. He's so predictable. He (and his fellow haters)

Reply to underpants (Reply #7)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 08:13 PM

Mar 2017

owe Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter, Bill and Hillary Clinton, George McGovern and everyone else they have ever slandered an apology that will never come.

MontanaMama

(23,337 posts)

8. So Nunes is running back and forth

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 06:22 PM

Mar 2017

From capital hill to the WH with his hair on fire, holds two pressers and he's not sure why.

Sounds legit.

Solly Mack

(90,785 posts)

11. I hope he goes down in flames.

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 06:28 PM

Mar 2017

BumRushDaShow

(129,441 posts)

12. Resign the Chairmanship. nt

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 06:35 PM

Mar 2017

SunSeeker

(51,697 posts)

13. Resign from Congress.

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Reply #12)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 06:44 PM

Mar 2017

He committed a crime.

Stuart G

(38,445 posts)

15. Although you are correct, he will not do it..He will not resign from the committee either. nt

Reply to SunSeeker (Reply #13)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 06:53 PM

Mar 2017

SunSeeker

(51,697 posts)

17. Of course. The little turd is incapable of doing the right thing. nt

Reply to Stuart G (Reply #15)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 07:02 PM

Mar 2017

BumRushDaShow

(129,441 posts)

18. I was looking at who else was on that committee

Reply to Stuart G (Reply #15)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 07:05 PM

Mar 2017

and noticed that Peter King was on there.

Not sure who the most senior member is among the GOPers on the committee but if the "establishment" ever wants to attempt to extricate itself out of the near bottomless hole they have dug themselves into, King (this is the NY "King&quot might be able to halfway do it... assuming they were able to force Nunes to step down from the chairmanship and give it to King.

ColemanMaskell

(783 posts)

16. If "Nunes was a member of the Trump transition team executive committee" isn't he

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Thu Mar 23, 2017, 06:59 PM

Mar 2017

investigating himself, or, rather, in charge of a committee tasked with investigating himself?

I had not known that "Nunes was a member of the Trump transition team executive committee." That kind of sheds some light on why he might be motivated to run so quickly to fearless leader with any sort of relevant news.

Usually people don't get to be in charge of a committee investigating a group they're part of. Convenient for him, though.