The New York Times reported on Thursday that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes was briefed by two White House officials shortly before he announced that the Trump transition team may have been swept up in “incidental” surveillance. Meanwhile, White House press secretary Sean Spicer announced an invitation to top Senate and House investigators to review classified documents related to Russian hacking and U.S. surveillance, calling it “the responsible thing” to do.
At least two White House officials were involved in giving House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes access to intelligence reports that seemed to show that President Donald Trump and his associates were incidentally included in surveillance efforts, according to reports Thursday.
NBC News reported on two stories, one from the New York Times and the Washington Post. The Times, citing several current American officials, named the senior director for intelligence at the National Security Council and a lawyer who works on national security issues at the White House Counsel's Office as the officials involved in liaising with Nunes.
Later Thursday, the Washington Post reported that three White House officials may have been involved in the exchange with Nunes, who later went to the White House to brief them on his findings. That ushered in a wave of criticism from top Democrats.
NBC News has not independently confirmed the New York Times or the Washington Post reports. White House press secretary Sean Spicer dismissed questions about the Times report, saying the press is assuming the reports are correct.
