Nunes to donors in secret recording: GOP majority is necessary to protect Trump

During a meeting with donors last month, Rep. Devin Nunes made clear, among other things, the importance of retaining a GOP-lead Congress in the midterm elections.

“We have to keep the majority. If we do not keep the majority, all of this goes away,” Nunes said during his remarks in Spokane, Wash., audio of which was recorded by a member of a progressive group called “Fuse Washington” and aired on The Rachel Maddow Show Wednesday night.

In the 40-minute recording, Nunes gives his candid thoughts on a variety of issues, from the Mueller investigation and the president’s tweets, to why he thinks efforts to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein should be tabled until after the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

“You have to decide what you want right now because the Senate only has so much time. Do you want them to drop everything and not confirm the Supreme Court justice, the new Supreme Court justice?” Nunes said.

The tapes offer a glimpse at Nunes political strategies in advance of the elections. The Washington Post and other news outlets were quick to dissect the remarks.

At least one lawmaker, Rep. Ted Lieu, D-El Segundo, took to Twitter to call on Nunes to resign.

Andrew Janz, who is challenging for Nunes’ congressional seat, released his own statement Thursday morning.

“The corruption in Washington is rampant, and Nunes is at the heart of it. My job is to make sure that this is Nunes’ last term in Congress so that we can move the Central Valley forward,” Janz said.

This story was originally published August 9, 2018 at 10:48 AM with the headline "Nunes to donors in secret recording: GOP majority is necessary to protect Trump."