'A stooge of the president of the United States': Nancy Pelosi calls for Devin Nunes to step aside

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Thursday accused House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA) of being a "stooge" for Donald Trump after he released information about foreign intelligence surveillance without first telling his Democratic colleagues.

In a press conference on Wednesday, Nunes revealed that intelligence agencies had incidentally intercepted communications from Trump and his associates while conducting surveillance of foreign targets. Nunes then went to the White House to personally brief the president, who said he felt "somewhat" vindicated by the revelations.

At a briefing with reporters on Thursday, Pelosi said that Nunes appeared to be a "willing stooge" of the president.

"He committed a stunt at the White House yesterday raising questions about Chairman Nunes' impartiality," Pelosi explained, noting that Nunes had been a part of the Trump transition team.

"The Republicans are grasping at straws," she continued. "FBI Director Comey confirmed that President Obama did not wiretap President Trump, affirmed an investigation into links and coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump campaign."

According to Pelosi, Nunes made it necessary to move forward with an independent investigation because he had proven himself "a stooge for the president of the United States."

"I think he had demonstrated very clearly that there is no way that there can be an impartial investigation under his leadership on that committee," she insisted. "It speaks very clearly to the need for an outside independent commission."

Watch the video below from C-SPAN.

.@NancyPelosi calls House Intelligence Cmte Chair Devin Nunes a "stooge for the president of the United States" pic.twitter.com/RlqfPA5fNE

— CSPAN (@cspan) March 23, 2017