[JURIST] Republic chairman of the Intelligence Committee Devin Nunes [official profile] announced [press release] Thursday that he would temporarily step aside on committee’s investigation into possible Russian interference into the 2016 presidential election.The House Ethics Committee [official website] announced it will be investigating the congressman for disclosing unauthorized classified information which the congressman denies. Nunes will continue working on other cases and has handed responsibility for the Russian investigation over to Representative Mike Conaway [official profile]. “I will continue to fulfill all my responsibilities as Committee Chairman, and I am requesting to speak to the Ethics Committee at the earliest opportunity in order to expedite the dismissal of these false claims.”

Allegations of Russian connections to the Trump administration have come to the forefront of news as President Trump has taken office. In March the U.S. Senate held [JURIST report] its first hearing on Russian involvement in the 2016 election. The same month the FBI director confirmed [JURIST report] investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Earlier this month US Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from probes into Russian interference after it was reveal that he had met with Russian officials [JURIST reports] during the campaign.