House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes announced on Thursday he is temporarily stepping down as head of the committee’s investigation of collusion between Russia and members of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign amid allegations that he disclosed classified information. Nunes himself is now under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.
“Several leftwing activist groups have filed accusations against me with the Office of Congressional Ethics,” Nunes said in a statement, characterizing the accusations as “entirely false” and “politically motivated.”
Nunes faced intense criticism from Democrats last month after he held a press conference alleging that members of the Trump administration had been “incidentally” surveilled and “improperly unmasked” by United States intelligence agencies, even before providing the evidence to his fellow committee members.
Representative Mike Conaway, a Republican, will temporarily replace Nunes as head of the Russia probe.