Mr. Gowdy and Mr. Ryan were among a small group of congressional leaders briefed on the informant late last month by top officials from the F.B.I., Justice Department and the office of the director of national intelligence. The unusual meeting came after Mr. Trump intervened on behalf of Representative Devin Nunes, Republican of California and the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, who was demanding information related to the informant. Mr. Ryan has encouraged Mr. Gowdy, a former federal prosecutor and one of the House Republicans’ most experienced investigators, to help calm tensions between Mr. Nunes and the Justice Department. The two sides have repeatedly clashed as Mr. Nunes, a close ally of the president’s, has demanded greater and greater access to delicate case files. that took seriously what they heard,” Mr. Gowdy said.

Source: New York Times June 06, 2018 15:10 UTC