What we now learn is that the Obama administration, of which Hillary Clinton was once a part, used the US's federal security and intelligence agencies during the election to spy on Hillary Clinton's opponent, Donald Trump, and on his campaign. They did so despite the fact that no evidence existed or has ever come to light of any wrongdoing by Donald Trump or by anyone else working on his behalf or for his campaign such as would normally justify surveillance.

This is the true scandal of the US Presidential election of 2016. By contrast the various claims of Russian interference in the election are unproven and threadbare and almost certainly wrong, whilst the claims of illicit contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia are undoubtedly false and wrong.

"We don't actually know yet officially what happened to General Flynn," Nunes said of how communications from Gen. Flynn's calls were leaked to the press. "We just know that his name leaked out but we don't know how it was picked up yet. That was one of the things that we asked for in the March 15th letter, was for the NSA, CIA, and FBI to get us all the unmasking that was done."

"And I'll tell you, NSA is being cooperative," Nunes continued, "but so far the FBI has not told us whether or not they're going to respond to our March 15th letter, which is now a couple of weeks old."

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) on Thursday called for an investigation into House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who bypassed the panel to brief President Trump on information related to U.S. surveillance of his transition team.

During an interview on CNN's "New Day," Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, called the Intelligence panel a "very special committee."

"They are privileged to information that most members of Congress may never see and so you expect them to be extremely confidential," he added.

"What he did was basically to go to the president, who's being investigated, by the FBI and others and by the intelligence committee, to give them information."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) hammered the Republican chairman of the Intelligence Committee on Thursday, saying Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) is simply a "stooge" for President Trump who can't be trusted to lead an unbiased investigation into ties between Russia and the White House.

Pelosi said Nunes "acted outside the circle of respect" for his responsibility as Intelligence chairman when he went Wednesday to the press and the president with new information surrounding the panel's probe into Russian hacking of the 2016 election and possible surveillance of Trump's team — without telling the other members of the committee.

"By being a stooge of the president of the United States," Pelosi charged, "he has demonstrated very clearly that there is no way there can be an impartial investigation under his leadership on that committee."

Pelosi, who has called for months for an outside independent investigation of the Russian hacking and influence campaign, said Nunes's actions only accentuate the need for Congress to create such a panel.

"Chairman Nunes is deeply compromised, and he cannot possibly lead an honest investigation," she charged.