Rep. Devin Nunes Apologizes, Backtracks After Trump Surveillance Claims

WASHINGTON, DC — Rep. Devin Nunes apologized to his fellow members of the House Intelligence Committee Thursday, according to Rep. Jackie Speier, after he discussed new evidence related to their investigation with the press and with the White House before sharing it with the other representatives. And according to ABC News, a spokesman for the congressman said Thursday that Nunes isn't entirely certain about the substance of the evidence he discussed.

The House Intelligence Committee has been investigating connections between the Trump campaign and Russian hacking as well as President Trump's claims that President Obama wiretapped Trump Tower.

Speier, a California Democrat on the committee, said that Nunes, a California Republican and chair of the committee, was not exactly clear about what he was apologizing for.

She told CNN that the apology was "generic."

Nunes told reporters on Wednesday that, according to anonymous sources, Trump's transition team was incidentally surveilled by the federal government. He said that though this surveillance was legal, it was in many ways troubling.

He subsequently went to the White House to share this information with the president.

On Thursday, a spokesman for the congressman told ABC News that Nunes is not entirely certain about whether Trump or his associates were in fact picked up in the government's surveillance.

"He said he'll have to get all the documents he requested from the [intelligence community] about this before he knows for sure," the spokesman said.

Nunes faced sharp criticism for his actions regarding disclosure of the evidence. Rep Adam Schiff, ranking member on the committee and California Democrat, said Wednesday it was inappropriate for Nunes to share this information with the White House, given that the committee's investigation targets the Trump campaign. Schiff also said Nunes should have first shared any new information with his committee members before he went to the press.

Schiff also doubted the significance of the putative new evidence.

On Thursday, Sen. John McCain also criticized Nunes, calling his behavior "very disturbing." He also added: "No longer does the Congress have credibility to handle this alone, and I don't say that lightly."

The Arizona Republican continued: "I am happy to say that, in the Senate Intelligence Committee, there's a very good working relationship between Sen. Burr and Sen. Warner."

Former Vice President Joe Biden also voiced his displeasure:

Trump said he felt somewhat "vindicated" by Nunes' comments on Wednesday.

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