CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Rep. Devin Nunes and House Speaker Paul Ryan have less credibility when commenting on the Russian investigation than a groundhog has forecasting weather.

Thursday, Ryan, with a straight face, claimed the controversial Nunes memo simply represented legitimate Congressional oversight and not an attempt to discredit the FBI and Mueller Russian investigation.

"Congress is doing its job in conducting legitimate oversight over a very unique law, FISA. And if mistakes were made, and if individuals did something wrong, then it is our job as the legislative branch of government to conduct oversight over the executive branch if abuses were made."

"What this is not, is an indictment on our institutions, or our justice system. This memo is not an indictment of the FBI, of the department of justice, it does not impugn the Mueller investigation or the deputy attorney general," Ryan said from the Republican retreat in West Virginia.

Not even President Trump believes what Ryan said about the Nunes memo. According to multiple reports, Trump has been telling friends and staff, that he hopes and believes the memo will discredit the FBI and Robert Mueller's investigation. It's expected that Trump may also use the memo as justification to fire deputy Attorney General Rod Rosentein.

The Department of Justice and FBI Director Christopher Wray also clearly do not believe Ryan's claims. Both the DOJ and FBI have strenuously objected to the release of the disputed memo.

"As expressed during our initial review, we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo's accuracy," the FBI wrote in a statement.

The memo was written by the staff of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes. Nunes had recused himself from the Russian investigation in April, 2017. He was a member of the Trump transition team and had come under House Ethics Committee investigation for "unauthorized disclosures of classified information, in violation of House Rules, law, regulations, or other standards of conduct."

According to released House Intel Committee transcripts, Nunes refused to answer whether his staff had written the memo in consultation with the Trump administration.

This cartoon was first posted in 2017. Rep Devin Nunes recused himself from the House Russian investigation after allegations he colluded with Trump staffers sharing classified information.

Nunes' staff, using cherry picked classified information, prepared a four page memo that contends the FBI is biased and improperly obtained a FISA warrant against Russian espionage suspect, Carter Page, based solely on the Steele dossier, funded by Democrats.

The purported premise of the Nunes' memo is a false one, protecting both the Trump administration and a suspected agent for Russia.

The FISA warrant in question, is the latest in a number of renewals of the original FISA warrant against Page. The warrant was never based solely on the Steele dossier.

Page has been under investigation by U.S. intel since 2013. U.S. intel had a Russian spy ring under surveillance when the ring tried to recruit Page. That's how Page got on the radar of U.S. intel and the FBI. The Russian spy ring was caught by authorities. Two of the Russian agents who made contact with Page, were convicted and imprisoned in the United States.

Ryan is correct in saying that the House has oversight authority and a right to investigate misconduct or abuses by the FBI, but the Nunes charade is not how proper oversight is conducted.

The normal oversight course of action is for Congress to call upon the DOJ Inspector General's Office to investigate. The Inspector General's office is the equivalent to Internal Affairs with a police department.

In addition to calling on the IG's office, Congressional oversight normally involves calling for the FBI director to testify before the committee. FBI Director Christopher Wray volunteered to go before Nunes' committee to address their concerns about abuses. When Nunes was asked why he did not invite Wray to testify, Nunes retort was that it was because Ray and the FBI were under investigation by him. Which was stunning news to Nunes' fellow committee members.

Nunes' admission that he was unilaterally investigating Christopher Wray and the FBI without the knowledge of his full committee and Congress, should have prompted an immediate review of Nunes by speaker Ryan, not his endorsement.

Nunes is not fit to be on the House Intel Committee, let alone be it's chairman. And Paul Ryan is demonstrating he's no longer fit to be Speaker of the House of Representatives. Ryan is willfully enabling Devin Nunes' and President Trump's blatant attempts to obstruct justice and undermine two bedrock foundations of American democracy -the FBI and Department of Justice. And in the course of doing so, Ryan is giving cover to Carter Page, who has been under legitimate investigation for Russian espionage since 2013

"Weasels, Liars" and "Stooges"

In an editorial Devin Nunes' hometown paper, The Sacramento Bee, called him Trump's "Stooge." You can now add Paul Ryan to Larry, Curly, Moe and Devin.

Using Trump's favorite form of communication, James Comey supported the FBI for speaking up about the Nunes memo against "weasels and liars."

"All should appreciate the FBI speaking up. I wish more of our leaders would. But take heart: American history a shows that, in the long run, weasels and liars never hold the field, so long as good people stand up. Not a lot of schools or streets named for Joe McCarthy."

At this rate, it's doubt full any streets will be named for Nunes, Ryan, Page, Manafort, Flynn, Kushner, Hicks, Trumps...