House Intel Committee Cancels Meetings Amid Uproar Over Russia

The House Intelligence Committee has canceled its meetings for the week amid the turmoil surrounding Republican chairman Devin Nunes, CNN reported.

The cancellations of the twice-weekly meetings calls into question the committee's ability to continue its investigation into possible collusion between President Donald Trump's team and Russia operatives.

Democrats on the committee — led by Rep. Adam Schiff — are calling for Nunes to recuse himself from the panel's investigation into Trump and Russia following the chairman's admission Monday that he was on White House grounds last week meeting with a source regarding surveillance of the president.

A day later, Nunes announced that Trump and his campaign team's communications had been monitored incidentally amid the intelligence community's surveillance of foreign diplomats, standard protocol.

Democrats say Nunes is betraying the secret work of the committee and its probe into Trump-Russia by informing the White House of the panel's findings.

Nunes also scrapped a public hearing Tuesday with FBI Director James Comey about the probe, opting instead to hold a private briefing. Comey declined to brief the committee, given the internal discord, CNN reported.

Nunes on Monday rebuffed Democrats' calls for him to step down.

Nunes' actions and the sudden halt to the work of the intelligence committee is likely to strengthen the refrain — from Republicans as well as Democrats — for an independent investigation into Trump-Russia.

• Babbin: Nunes' Disputed WH Meeting 'Perfectly Legitimate'
• picer: 'Anything Is Possible' About Nunes' Surveillance Sources