For a man who doesn't like the spotlight, the chairman of the House intelligence committee has secured himself a place in it.

Devin Nunes, a Republican congressman from the farmlands of central California, is dominating international headlines thanks to his high-profile role in one of the congressional investigations that have embroiled Donald Trump's White House.

Last month, he held back-to-back news conferences to discuss typically secret information about US spy agencies intercepting communications of people on Mr Trump's team.

A week ago he made headlines again by admitting he went to the White House grounds to review intelligence reports and meet the secret source behind his claim that communications involving Trump associates were caught up in "incidental" surveillance.

On Thursday April 6 Mr Nunes said he would temporarily step aside from Russia probe after accusations were filed against him by left-wing activist groups with the office of congressional ethics.

Mr Nunes said the charges were false and politically motivated, but it was in the best interest of the committee to have GOP congressman Mike Conaway of Texas temporarily take charge of the committee's investigation.

Trump claims Obama wire-tapped Trump tower

The saga into alleged surveillance on Mr Trump began on March 4 when the president said on Twitter he "just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory."