Liberal Forum

Devin Nunes Met Source On White House Grounds Day Before Claiming Trump Team Was Surveilled

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) met a source on White House grounds last week, one day before he alleged that President Donald Trump and his team were subjected to surveillance during the final months of the Obama administration.

Nunes met the source on White House grounds in order to view sensitive information in a “secure location,” Jack Langer, Nunes’ communications director, said Monday in a statement, CNN first reported.

There are sensitive compartmented information facilities ― known as SCIFs ― on Capitol Hill.

But using a congressional facility would have required the source to illegally transport the documents, Langer told The Huffington Post.

“The information comprised executive branch documents that have not been provided to Congress.

Because of classification rules, the source could not simply put the documents in a backpack and walk them over to the House Intelligence Committee space,” he wrote in an email.

“The White House grounds was the best location to safeguard the proper chain of custody and classification of these documents, so the Chairman could view them in a legal way.”

Only individuals with specific approval can enter White House grounds.

The revelation about Nunes adds to speculation that he coordinated with Trump’s team before making allegations about the previous administration’s information-gathering.