Tag: Nunes FBI memo

Release of disputed GOP memo on FBI surveillance unleashes waves of recrimination

The following article by Devlin Barrett, Karoun Demirjian and Philip Rucker was posted on the Washington Post website February 2, 2018:

President Trump approved the release of a controversial and classified congressional memo on Feb. 2. Here are some of its main claims. (The Washington Post)

A GOP memo declassified on Friday accused senior law enforcement officials of misleading a court in order to conduct surveillance on a former Trump campaign adviser, fueling a growing distrust between the White House and Republicans on one side and the Justice Department and FBI on the other.

The four-page document, which the FBI said is inaccurate, had been the focus of weeks of partisan fights leading up to its release by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee, and that acrimony intensified after its publication. Continue reading “Release of disputed GOP memo on FBI surveillance unleashes waves of recrimination”

FBI memo firestorm engulfs GOP retreat

The following article by Rachael Bade and Burgess Everett was posted on the Politico website February 1, 2018:

Republicans wanted to tout their accomplishments and agenda. Instead, all they got asked about what was Devin Nunes’ memo.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), left, and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.). (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Republican lawmakers often complain when President Donald Trump’s controversial comments suck up the headlines and undercut their messaging. But this week, they tripped over their own feet.The firestorm over whether to release a classified, GOP-crafted memo alleging FBI misconduct has totally drowned out the House-Senate GOP retreat here in West Virginia. Republicans wanted to tout their tax bill and advocate for their 2018 priorities, from infrastructure to military spending. But the controversial document of their own making seemed to be the only thing reporters wanted to talk about.

The rank and file and leadership alike were peppered with questions about the memo drafted by aides to House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes. Fully seven out of the nine questions asked during a joint news conference with Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell centered on it. Reporters grilled them on the FBI director’s opposition to unveiling the document and whether they thought Nunes, a Trump-loyalist, should remain chairman. Continue reading “FBI memo firestorm engulfs GOP retreat”

Rising White House fear: Nunes memo is a dud

The following article by Jonathan Swan was posted on the axios.com website February 1, 2018:

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, who previously had recused himself from the panel’s Russia investigation, arrives ahead of White House Senior Advisor and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s interview on Capitol Hill on July 25. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Inside the Trump administration, sources who’ve been briefed on the Nunes memo expect it will be underwhelming and not the “slam dunk” document it’s been hyped up to be.

What we’re hearing: There is much more skepticism inside the administration than has been previously reported about the value of releasing the memo, according to sources familiar with the administration discussions.

Be smart: Trump still wants to release the memo. But there are a number of people in the White House who are fairly underwhelmed, and there’s internal anxiety about whether it’s worth angering the FBI director and intelligence community by releasing this information.

Continue reading “Rising White House fear: Nunes memo is a dud”

White House Will Release Nunes Memo ‘Quick,’ Kelly Says

The following article by John T. Bennett was posted on the Roll Call website January 31, 2018:

Without reviewing it, Trump said he would ‘100 percent’ make it public

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly says President Donald Trump “wants everything out so the American people can make up their own minds.” Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images file photo

The White House plans to release soon a classified memo crafted by House Republicans that casts doubt on the Justice Department’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s alleged ties to Russia and that country’s meddling in the 2016 election, Chief of Staff John Kelly said Wednesday.

“It will be released here pretty quick, I think, and the whole world can see it,” Kelly told Fox News Radio. Continue reading “White House Will Release Nunes Memo ‘Quick,’ Kelly Says”

Ryan defends release of memo on alleged surveillance abuses but warns against tying it to Mueller probe

The following article by Karoun Demirjian was posted on the Washington Post website January 30, 2018:

After the House Intelligence Committee voted to release a classified memo, Republicans lauded the step while Democrats criticized it as a political deception.(Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan on Tuesday defended the way that Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes handled a politically divisive vote to publicize a classified memo detailing alleged surveillance abuses by federal law enforcement agencies, but he warned against using it to discredit the special counsel’s probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Ryan (R-Wis.) said Nunes (R-Calif.) was following a well-established process when the committee voted Monday to release a GOP-drafted memo to the public, provided President Trump does not block its efforts within five days. The panel also voted to make a memo drafted by Democrats rebutting the GOP’s document available to House members to read in a secure facility, as the panel had done with the GOP memo 11 days earlier along party lines. Continue reading “Ryan defends release of memo on alleged surveillance abuses but warns against tying it to Mueller probe”

Nunes Didn’t Read Source Material Behind His FBI Memo

The following article by Ryan Sit of Newsweek was posted on the National Memo website January 30, 2018:

The Republican lawmaker who spearheaded the campaign to release a classified memo critical of the Justice Department and FBI “cherry-picked” the contents in document without ever reading all the source material, a top Democrat charges.

In a Monday night interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Representative Adam Schiff, (D-Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said that Representative Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) hasn’t read all the details behind the controversial secret memo.  Continue reading “Nunes Didn’t Read Source Material Behind His FBI Memo”