'If we do not keep the majority, all of this goes away': Leaked audio reveals Devin Nunes is worried about the Republican Party's chances in the November midterms
- Devin Nunes, the House Intelligence Committee chairman and one of President Donald Trump's most vocal supporters in Congress is worried about the Republican Party's prospects in the November midterm elections.
- Leaked audio released on Wednesday night features Nunes talking to donors at a Spokane, Washington, fundraiser last week, during which the California 22nd Congressional District lawmaker said, "if we do not keep the majority, all of this goes away."
- Nunes was apparently referring to the political buffer the GOP provides for Trump. "If [Jeff] Sessions won't un-recuse, and Mueller won't clear the president, we're the only ones," Nunes said, according to the audio, which first aired publicly on MSNBC Wednesday night.
- Republicans nationwide are facing headwinds going into the midterm elections, due in part to Trump's unpopularity and a steady churn of scandals surrounding the president and his administration.
The Republican House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes is worried about the November midterm elections.
Newly released audio from a Republican fundraiser features Nunes talking to donors at a gathering in Spokane, Washington, last week, during which Nunes said, "if we do not keep the majority, all of this goes away."
"If [Jeff] Sessions won't un-recuse, and Mueller won't clear the president, we're the only ones," Nunes said, according to the audio.
Nunes was speaking at a gathering in support of the No. 4 House Republican, Cathy McMorris Rogers, on July 30. The audio first aired publicly on The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC Wednesday night.
The California 22nd Congressional District congressman was apparently pitching himself and the Republican Party at large as a buffer for Trump, who, among several members of his election campaign, is a subject in the special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
Nunes has been a vocal supporter of Trump, and his oversight of the House Intel Committee's own Russia probe was widely seen as a counter-investigation to Mueller's inquiry - largely because of Nunes' belief that some prosecutors on Mueller's team were politically biased against the president.
As Nunes sees it, Republicans must also choose their priorities within the limited amount of time they have before the midterms. Those priorities include pushing Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, through Senate confirmation, and potentially making another run at impeaching Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
A small group of conservatives introduced impeachment documents targeting Rosenstein last month and withdrew them less than 24 hours later.
"The Senate would have to drop everything they're doing and start with impeachment on Rosenstein. And then take the risk of not getting Kavanaugh confirmed," Nunes said. "So it's not a matter that any of us like Rosenstein. It's a matter of, it's a matter of timing."
Republicans nationwide are facing headwinds going into the midterm elections, due in part to Trump's unpopularity and a steady churn of scandals surrounding the president and his administration.