Nunes Threatens Move to Hold Sessions In Contempt
WHITFIELD: Congressman Devin Nunes is lashing out against the Justice Department. The Republican chairman of the House Intel Committee says he's moving to hold U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt of Congress for withholding documents in his panel's probe of government surveillance.</s>REP. DEVIN NUNES (R), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Two weeks ago we sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a classified letter. Per usual, it was ignored, not acknowledged, just completely ignored. So last week we sent a subpoena. And then on Thursday we discovered that they are not going to comply with our subpoena --</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what are you going to do about it?</s>NUNES: -- on some very important information that we need.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you going to do?</s>NUNES: The only thing left that we can do is we have to move quickly to hold the attorney general of the United States in contempt, and that's what I'm going to press for this week.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, joining us right now is CNN Justice Reporter Laura Jarrett. So Laura, do we know what's in these documents and what they're being withheld?</s>LAURA JARRETT, CNN JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, Fred, this is really just the latest chapter in an ongoing battle between Chairman Devin Nunes and the Justice Department over sensitive materials related to the Russia investigation. But this is interesting for two reasons. The first is that, I obtained a letter that shows that the Justice Department told Chairman Nunes on Thursday that it was not going to be able to fill this request because these documents actually could risk national security. Now the head of legislative affairs for the Justice Department told Chairman Nunes that the request could actually pose a risk to human lives, pose a risk to sources and an ongoing investigation. But this is also interesting because he's lashing out at Attorney General Jeff Sessions, but as he knows, the attorney general is actually recused from the Russia investigation. Most of his dealings have been with the FBI Director Chris Wray as well as Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. So it's unclear what the play is here on Sessions.</s>WHITFIELD: And then, there's some more precedence here because CNN has reported that Nunes has demanded Justice Department records before but then, not even read them. So, what's really -- what's this all about, really?</s>JARRETT: Yes, it's something of a curious pattern that based on our reporting shows that he continually demands documents always related to the Russia investigation, largely classified. The Justice Department eventually capitulates, relents and turns them over. And then he does not read them according to multiple sources Manu Raju and I and Jeremy Herb reported on Friday that this is how the situation has played out again and again. Now, his supporters say that Congressman Gowdy and his staff have maintained a good grasp on all of these documents. They have read all of them. But Chairman Nunes, the critics point out, that for the amount that he has demanded and how sensitive they are, you would think that he would want to read them himself.</s>WHITFIELD: Or perhaps that they hand them off to the White House. The White House would not have access to some of this material.</s>JARRETT: Well, that's true. And we don't have any reporting to suggest that he's sharing them in any improper way. But you do -- you see how the fact that the Justice Department has continued to turned over materials after materials, document after document that it initially says that it doesn't want to because of national security, because of these grave risks. It's clear that the Justice Department hasn't had the support of both House leadership Paul Ryan and the White House, who has, you know, declined to exert executive privilege again and again. That's the result of the so-called Nunes memo. All of that is a result of both leadership in the White House not having the Justice Department's back in these instances, Fred.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, Laura Jarrett, thank you so much. And we'll be right back.