Judge denies Nunes access to secret depositions on Steele dossier
BY KEVIN G. HALL AND JAY WEAVER
khall@mcclatchydc.com
jweaver@miamiherald.com
October 25, 2018 03:34 PM
Updated October 25, 2018 04:38 PM
The chairmen of two congressional committees, including House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Cal., who sought sealed testimony in a South Florida court case from key players in the Trump-Russia investigation ran afoul of proper procedures, a federal judge in Miami said.
The federal magistrate judge rebuffed those efforts on Sept. 5 but the reasons why and other details had been shielded from the public — until now. A transcript viewed by Miami Herald and McClatchy reporters shows that the judge felt their effort threatened to overstep congressional powers, but he left the door open to consider a request made through proper legal channels.
“I really need the Senate committee and the House committee to come here and explain to me why it is appropriate for them to obtain these [sealed court] documents,” Magistrate Judge John J. O’Sullivan said, before denying their request to release two crucial depositions taken in a Miami lawsuit related to the federal investigation.
Such a follow-up request does not seem to have been made in the nearly two months that have passed. The efforts by the chairmen to step into a civil lawsuit underscored the bitter partisan warfare engulfing Washington.
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