House Intel chair: Trump-Russia investigation calls 'almost like McCarthyism'

By DAVID SIDER

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, responding to calls for an independent investigation into contacts between Trump associates and Russia, said Saturday that the House would not engage in a “witch hunt” and that “at this point, there’s nothing there.”

“This is almost like McCarthyism revisited,” the California Republican told reporters at the California Republican Party’s spring convention in Sacramento. “We’re going to go on a witch hunt against, against innocent Americans …?”

Nunes’ remarks came after fellow California Rep. Darrell Issa called for a special prosecutor to oversee the investigation.

“At this point, there’s nothing there,” Nunes said. “Once we begin to look at all the evidence, and if we find any American that had any contact with Russian agents or anybody affiliated with the Russian government, then we’ll be glad to, at that point, you know, subpoena those people before the House and let the legislative branch do its oversight and then we would recommend it over to, you know, the appropriate people.”

He added, “But at this point … we can’t go on a witch hunt against the American people, any American people who have not had any contact, just because they appeared in a news story.”

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/house-intel-chair-trump-russia-investigation-calls-almost-like-mccarthyism-235405