Nunes talks Trump, water at Chamber event

by David Taub

Congressman Devin Nunes is optimistic, but perhaps realistic about Donald Trump’s chances of becoming the 45^th President of the Untied State of America. Nunes delivered a speech Friday morning to the Fresno Chamber of Commerce, touching on the election, water and international affairs.

“It looks like Trump is down in the polls, but at the same time, he is a very good communicator,” the representative for the 22^nd congressional district said.

Commenting on Trump’s outsider status, Nunes said “There is just no way you can know all of these issues and be able to answer them articulately especially when you are running for the highest office in the land and be hammered by the media day after day after day. You are bound to say something each time that will get you in trouble. The difference is, Donald Trump actually enjoys doing that.”

Nunes wished Trump would adhere to a more traditional Republican message. “Although frustrating, because we would really like to have, especially from my perspective, someone more articulate on the issues that actually knows what the agenda is that the Republican Party is trying to put forward. I would like that agenda being taken to the American people. However, it’s kind of gone down in the gutter.”

When speaking with GV Wire after the event, Nunes, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, would not confirm that Russia was behind the Wikileaks attacks that have recently released e-mails stolen from the Clinton campaign. “It is probably being a little bit exaggerated and I think they are politicizing it too much, because I don’t think they really know exactly where this came from.”

During his speech, Nunes warned that any business or person could be the victim of a hack. He personally is cautious of what he writes in his own e-mails.

Regarding water policy, Nunes expressed frustration that the Valley is 2.5 million acre feet short of what they need to be successful to grow. “You are going to start seeing land that is traditionally farmed, that over the next decade if nothing is done, come out of production.”

He said the ultimate controllers of federal water policy are Governor Jerry Brown and Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein. He said Brown and Boxer refuse to help and that Feinstein says she can help but never follows up with action.