Rep. Walter Jones on Tuesday became the first House Republican to call for Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes to recuse himself from the investigation into Russian activities during the presidential election.
Jones, 74, first elected from North Carolina in 1994, told The Hill that Nunes, a California Republican, should "absolutely" step aside during his committee's investigation.
"How can you be chairman of a major committee and do all these things behind the scenes and keep your credibility?" Jones asked. "You can't keep your credibility.
"If anything has shown that we need a commission, this has done it by the way he has acted," said Jones, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. "That's the only way you can bring integrity to the process.
"The integrity of the committee looking into this has been tainted."
Nunes, a former member of President Donald Trump's transition team, dismissed calls Tuesday from Democrats to recuse himself.
"Why would I?" he asked reporters on his way to a Capitol Hill meeting.
Ranking Democratic committee member Rep. Adam Schiff, also of California, have demanded Nunes step aside during the investigation after news reports he secretly visited the White House the day before he announced he had been provided with evidence transition associates were the subject of incidental surveillance by spy agencies after the election.
Nunes said the calls were merely "politics."
Jones also is the only Republican to co-sponsor legislation by Democratic Reps. Elijah Cummings of Maryland and Eric Swalwell of California that would establish an independent commission to probe Russia's role in the election, the Hill reported.