(CNN) House intelligence chairman Devin Nunes announced Thursday he was temporarily stepping aside from leading the investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 elections. The California Republican alerted the White House of his decision Thursday morning, a senior administration official told CNN. "In the meantime, it is clear that this process would be a distraction for the House Intelligence Committee's investigation into Russian interference in our election. Chairman Nunes has offered to step aside as the lead Republican on this probe, and I fully support this decision," Ryan said. The ensuing chaos rocked the House investigation and led some lawmakers to declare it dead, but Republicans and Democrats have slowly been setting it back on course.

Source: CNN April 06, 2017 13:50 UTC