House Republicans Release Secret Memo Accusing Russia Investigators of Bias
February 3, 2018 by admin
Filed under Lingerie Events
Earlier on Friday, Mr. Trump said top officials and investigators at the F.B.I. and Justice Department have “politicized the sacred investigative process.”
The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans – something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago. Rank File are great people!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
Feb. 2, 2018
The early-morning Twitter post reinforced reports that Mr. Trump, in allowing the Republican memo to be released, is seeking to clean house in the upper ranks of the F.B.I. and the Justice Department, even at the risk of losing his own F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray. Earlier this week, The F.B.I. made an unusual public plea not to release the document, which could reveal classified sources and methods. Mr. Trump declassified the memo without requesting any redactions.
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Mr. Trump had an opportunity to block the memo, which his own top national security officials have requested because of national security concerns. The document was written by aides to Representative Devin Nunes of California, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee who has been an avid supporter of Mr. Trump.
In response to Mr. Trump’s Twitter post on Friday, Representative Adam B. Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said it is unthinkable that the top elected official in the United States would release classified information to attack the F.B.I.
No, Mr. President it’s worse than that. The country’s top elected leader has agreed to selectively and misleadingly release classified info to attack the FBI — that’s what would have been unthinkable a short time ago. https://t.co/yGMJ1Jwj5B
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Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff)
Feb. 2, 2018
Mr. Schiff and other Democrats on the Intelligence Committee drafted their own memo, a rebuttal which they say adds context to the Republican document. Republicans on the committee voted not to release the Democratic memo, but did support a motion that all lawmakers be allowed to review it.
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, of Wisconsin, supports the release of that second memo “in favor of greater transparency,” Mr. Ryan’s spokeswoman AshLee Strong said on Friday. “If it is scrubbed to ensure it does not reveal sources and methods of our intelligence gathering, the speaker supports the release of the Democrats’ memo,” Ms. Strong said.
Mr. Trump has consistently criticized the F.B.I. and the Justice Department while asking senior officials for loyalty. The president has also denounced the Russian investigation and called it a hoax and a witch hunt.
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Mr. Ryan told reporters on Thursday that the memo was not an attempt to undercut the Russia investigation. Instead, he described it as Congress carrying out its oversight role.
“This memo is not an indictment of the F.B.I., of the Department of Justice. It does not impugn the Mueller investigation or the deputy attorney general,” he said, referring to Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel investigating the Russian election meddling and whether Mr. Trump obstructed justice.
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Mr. Page was on the radar of intelligence agencies for years when Mr. Trump named him to be one of his foreign policy advisers in 2016. He had visited Moscow in July 2016 and was preparing to return there that December when investigators obtained the warrant. White House officials have described Mr. Page as a gadfly who had been “put on notice” by the campaign and whom Mr. Trump did not know.
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