Devin Nunes
© AP Photo/Pablo Martinez MonsivaisHouse Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., wrote a letter to fellow GOP chairmen referring the names of 17 current and former Justice Department and FBI officials to be interviewed for information related to potential surveillance abuse during the 2016 election.

The letter, sent Friday, was addressed to House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va. Nunes pressed his colleagues to reach out to these individuals because they may "have relevant information" and because the DOJ and FBI are under the purview of their panels' oversight.

"For the sake of transparency and to keep the American people as fully informed as possible about these matters, the task force should consider interviewing these individuals in an open setting," Nunes wrote, according to the letter obtained by Fox News.

Both the DOJ and FBI did not immediately respond to the outlet's request for comment.


Nunes' panel has been committed to sniffing out alleged surveillance abuse against the Trump campaign, particularly in how Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants were obtained to spy on Carter Page, who had been an aide to the election effort. In February, the committee's Republicans released a memo that discussed how the DOJ and FBI sought spy authority using the dossier, written by ex-British spy Christopher Steele, which had been funded in part by Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

Among those listed in Nunes' letter are Joseph Pientka, an agent who took part in the FBI's interview with then-national security adviser Michael Flynn. Flynn has pleaded guilty in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation to lying to the FBI. However, recently revealed information has cast doubt on whether FBI officials actually thought he lied.

Also on the list is Peter Strzok, a top FBI agent on the investigation into Hillary Clinton's email server, and simultaneously served on the bureau's Russia investigation. Strzok, who once texted a colleague "we'll stop" then-candidate Donald Trump from becoming president, was interviewed by members of the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees behind closed doors for nearly 10 hours Wednesday.

To view the letter from Devin Nunes, go here.