I’m ignorant to the process...’
How can Nunes do this now? He is in the minority and not chairman anymore......doesn’t the committee to vote to do this?
"The committee" didn't send the referrals.
At least Nunes and perhaps other members on the committee did.
“doesn’t the committee have to vote to do this?”
Anyone can report a crime. Prosecutors are just held more accountable when formal referrals are made by legislators.
If they just ignore crimes, even when they are formally brought to their attention like this, they themselves should be removed as negligent or corrupt. As a practical matter, they have to answer the mail from any member of Congress - but members of their Oversight Committee, like ranking member Nunes, carry special weight.
During AG Barr’s now famous “I think spying did occur” testimony, he said that he wanted to get a team together, to look at all the related previous and ongoing investigations, like his own Inspector General’s, as well as Congressional investigations.
Well the head of the Congressional investigation (Nunes) just notified him the next day that there were 8 specific criminal referrals for him.