Rep. Eric Swalwell Eric Michael SwalwellSwalwell calls for creation of presidential crimes commission to investigate Trump when he leaves office 'This already exists': Democrats seize on potential Trump executive order on preexisting conditions Swalwell: Barr has taken Michael Cohen's job as Trump's fixer MORE (D-Calif.) knocked House Republicans on Thursday over reports that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes Devin Gerald NunesOvernight Defense: Stopgap spending measure awaits Senate vote | Trump nominates former Nunes aide for intelligence community watchdog | Trump extends ban on racial discrimination training to contractors, military Trump nominates former Nunes aide to serve as intel community inspector general Sunday shows preview: Justice Ginsburg dies, sparking partisan battle over vacancy before election MORE (R-Calif.) is leading a group of Republicans probing political bias at the Justice Department and FBI.

In an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Swalwell accused Republicans of trying to discredit law enforcement agents in order to protect President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE.

"It seems that there is no end to my Republican colleagues' efforts," Swalwell, a member of the Intel panel, told CNN. "It makes you wonder, how many floors of the FBI building are they willing to burn down to protect the president?"

ADVERTISEMENT

Swalwell's comments come a day after a Politico report revealed that Nunes and a group of House Republicans have quietly been investigating for weeks whether top officials at the FBI and Justice Department mishandled information found in a dossier of unverified material that alleges ties between Trump and Russia.

"We're now encroaching on the rule of law in this country," Swalwell said Thursday. "That they continue to attack and undermine to insulate this president from what is a quite lawful Russia investigation."

"It's disheartening from a democratic principles standpoint," he added, "and it is certainly affecting just the high morale that's always been at the FBI that's now under attack."

Swalwell's comments come after Rep. Adam Schiff Adam Bennett SchiffPelosi, Democrats unveil bills to rein in alleged White House abuses of power Chris Matthews ripped for complimenting Trump's 'true presidential behavior' on Ginsburg Trump casts doubt on Ginsburg statement, wonders if it was written by Schiff, Pelosi or Schumer MORE (Calif.), the top Democrat on the Intel panel, also slammed House Republicans this week.

Schiff released a statement Wednesday saying that he wasn't aware of the group's investigation, but he condemned Republicans for trying to undermine the integrity of law enforcement.

"I think what we are seeing in our committee ... is an effort to attack the Department of Justice, an effort to attack the FBI, to attack [special counsel] Bob Mueller, is an effort to undermine the investigations and these institutions out of fear of what they’ll find and try to discredit them in advance," Schiff said. "It’s a pernicious thing to do that will ultimately inflict long-term damage on these institutions."