Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., is pressing for a criminal investigation into why the FBI and Department of Justice failed to previously turn over recently declassified text messages from ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok.
In an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” Nunes said the texts, released Thursday by GOP Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Charles Grassley of Iowa, would’ve been “clearly relevant” for Republicans’ look into the origins of the Russia investigation.
Nunes argued they should have already been released to members of Congress.
"This is clearly lying and obstructing Congress. This is information that we asked for numerous times," Nunes said.
"We sat in meetings with DOJ and FBI, and they sat there and stone cold said there’s no more information, there’s no more text messages."
The just released messages include communication referencing the Russia investigation before it officially began, as well as a July 2017 message dealing with the nature of the probe itself, in which Strzok said he was worried "about having this as a [counterintelligence] case when we are really doing a criminal investigation,” Fox News reported.
"These were the text messages that we really needed to run a proper investigation," Nunes told “Sunday Morning Futures.”
"Instead we had to go around. We had to rely on informants. We had to piece all this together in order to get this out to the American people that hey, Trump campaign and Republicans were not only spied on but this was wrong."
Nunes said he hoped Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham, who has been leading an investigation of his own into the Russia probe’s origins, will take action.
"I don’t see how John Durham can’t bust several people for lying and misleading Congress," he said.
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