Rep. Nunes: Trump Transition Team Was Under 'Incid
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The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said Wednesday that some of the communications of the Trump transition team were "monitored" after the election as part of an "incidental collection."
Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) said these surveillance operations produced "dozens" of reports which eventually unmasked several individuals’ identities and were "widely disseminated."
Nunes would not confirm if Trump's own communications were specifically monitored, saying only that it was "possible" that the president's communications were picked up.
Nunes said none of the reports he had read mentioned Russia, and he was unsure whether the surveillance occurred at Trump Tower, as Trump has suggested.
He said he believes the intelligence collections were done legally, but he is concerned because they were apparently not related to the FBI’s investigation into Russia’s meddling in the presidential election and because they were "widely disseminated" across the intelligence community.
Nunes said he told House Speaker Paul Ryan earlier Wednesday and was set to tell Trump and the White House later in the afternoon.
"There’s a lot of questions that need to get asked," Spicer said.
After briefing Trump, Nunes spoke at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
Nunes said what he has learned about the "incidental surveillance" bothers him, and he expects it bothers Trump as well.
He said some of the surveillance activity appears to be "inappropriate," but he held off on making final judgments before the information can be reviewed by the House Intelligence Committee.
He said it's "possible" that Trump was correct when he treated that the Obama administration had "wiretapped" him.
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