House intel chief: Russia probe will include potential surveillance of campaigns

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) on Sunday said the House Intelligence Committee will investigate any alleged surveillance of political parties as part of its investigation into Russian interference in the election.

“One of the focus points of the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation is the U.S. government’s response to actions taken by Russian intelligence agents during the presidential campaign,” Nunes said in a statement.

“As such, the Committee will make inquiries into whether the government was conducting surveillance activities on any political party’s campaign officials or surrogates, and we will continue to investigate this issue if the evidence warrants it.”

The statement comes hours after White House press secretary Sean Spicer tweeted Trump’s request for Congress to include his wiretapping claims in the Russia probe.

{mosads}Trump on Saturday claimed that former President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower before the November election, but did not provide any evidence of the claim.

A spokesman for Obama denied that the former president or any White House official ordered surveillance.

Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, recently joined ranking member Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) in laying out the parameters for the investigation into Russia’s cyber activities, including links between Russia and any U.S. campaign officials.

The intelligence community in a declassified report released in January concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin called for an influence campaign aimed at helping Trump win the White House.