McCarthy Comes To Carlson’s Side After Wild NSA Claim … And Ropes Nunes Into It

(FILES) In this file photo taken on October 19, 2018 US President Donald Trump (C) shakes hands with US Representative Devin Nunes (R-CA) as House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) (L) looks on after signing a p... (FILES) In this file photo taken on October 19, 2018 US President Donald Trump (C) shakes hands with US Representative Devin Nunes (R-CA) as House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) (L) looks on after signing a presidential memorandum focused on sending more water to farmers in California's Central Valley, during a meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona. - A Republican congressman is suing Twitter claiming the online platform discriminates against conservatives by hiding their messages, and for allowing "abusive, hateful and defamatory" content about the lawmaker. The complaint was filed by Representative Devin Nunes, an ally of President Donald Trump, in a Virginia state court, and released online by Fox News. It seeks $250 million in damages. (Photo by Nicholas Kamm / AFP) (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images) MORE LESS
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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Wednesday tasked Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), the senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, to investigate the National Security Agency, after the agency bluntly denied allegations by Fox New host Tucker Carlson that it has been spying on him in a conspiracy to get him kicked off the air.

In a statement issued Wednesday, McCarthy noted that he had asked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to reinstate Michael Ellis, who served as NSA General Counsel, on administrative leave.

“Earlier this year, I sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Austin expressing concern over the politicization of the Agency through the sidelining of Michael Ellis as NSA General Counsel,” McCarthy said. “I asked that Mr. Ellis be reinstated and expressed my concern regarding undue political influence in NSA placing Mr. Ellis on administrative leave.”

After saying that NSA officials have refused to comply with requests from Republican members on the House Intelligence panel, McCarthy turned his focus to Carlson’s wild allegations against the NSA.

“Now, there is a public report that NSA read the emails of Fox News host Tucker Carlson,” McCarthy said. “Although NSA publicly denied targeting Carlson, I have serious questions regarding this matter that must be answered.”

McCarthy then announced that he has recruited Nunes to investigate the allegations that the NSA has denied.

“Given this disturbing trend, I’ve asked HPSCI Ranking Member Devin Nunes to investigate and find answers on behalf of the American people,” McCarthy said. “The NSA cannot be used as a political instrument, and House Republicans will ensure accountability and transparency.”

McCarthy’s announcement comes a day after the NSA issued a statement issued a public statement Tuesday night directly denying Carlson’s claims.

Nonetheless, Carlson stood by his allegations against the NSA shortly after the agency issued its statement, saying the NSA’s statement “an entire paragraph of lies written purely for the benefit of the intel community’s lackeys at CNN and MSNBC.”

“We made a very straightforward claim: NSA has read my private emails without my permission,” the Fox News host said. “Tonight’s statement from the NSA does not deny that and instead it comes with this non sequitur: Tucker Carlson has never been an intel target.”

Nunes, a Trump loyalist who was awarded the Medal of Freedom weeks before the former president left office in January, defended Trump during the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and throughout the impeachment proceedings last year.

Nunes also spearheaded a memo in 2018 alleging that the FBI and Justice Department improperly spied on Trump’s associates and that the Intelligence Community had an anti-Trump bias.

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Notable Replies

  1. In other words, Republicans are having a cow.

  2. McCarthy doesn’t seem to understand how things work…he and Nunes have no power to demand anything of the Secretary of Defense, or start an investigation. And, reinstating Ellis is a nonstarter, he’s obviously a Trump plant who was there to sabotage the Biden administration. Putting him on leave was to make sure he couldn’t cause trouble or interfere with any investigations being done, as he’s been shown to be purely partisan and not a person who will work for the best interests of the nation.

    The desperation of the Republicans is clear in this…NSA is not investigating Carlson because they are not allowed to, but the major panic makes me wonder if Carlson was talking to someone he shouldn’t have and his emails were caught. It would really be karmic justice if Carlson managed to incriminate himself sending emails to foreign agents who the NSA was watching because of their nefarious behavior. Carlson is one of the best at enraging the white people that Republicans are dependent on, having him get caught collaborating with enemy agents would really put a dent in their image.

  3. ARGHHHHHH … I can’t take this anymore! I’m going to spend the next few days reviewing quality conspiracy theories by binging Oliver Stone films (inter alia), Torchwood, the original Twilight Zone, and Zoolander (see what I did there?) …

  4. McCarthy then announced that he has recruited Nunes to investigate the allegations that the NSA has denied.

    Has Nunes finished suing anyone that mocked him (including his own cow) for a billion dollars? How many of those suits he won?

    More proof that when the Okies left for California, the average IQ of both places dropped.

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