Tag: Rep. Nunes

Nunes Memo Could Weaken FISA, Congressional Panels

The following article by Gopal Ratnam was posted on the Roll Call website February 2, 2018:

House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., has pushed releasing a committee-drafted memo despite reservations from the FBI and Justice Department. Credit: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call

Releasing a four-page memo authored by aides to House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., alleging abuse of surveillance power by the FBI could ultimately weaken the process by which U.S. intelligence agencies seek secret court orders to conduct surveillance on foreigners, lawmakers and former intelligence professionals say.

Moreover, releasing the memo could erode the trust between the intelligence community and the congressional intelligence panels, these officials say.

President Donald Trump and his top White House aides are said to favor releasing the memo as early as Friday, without any changes, despite strong objections by the Justice Department and the FBI. Republicans in Congress, breaking with past practice, have said they would not allow a dissenting memo from the House Intelligence panel’s Democrats to be made public alongside the Nunes memo. Continue reading “Nunes Memo Could Weaken FISA, Congressional Panels”

The memo, the dossier and the political weaponization of misinformation

The following article by Aaron Blake was posted on the Washington Post website February 2, 2018:

The Russia probe got its start with a drunken conversation, an ex-spy, WikiLeaks and a distracted FBI. (Meg Kelly/The Washington Post)

There are few things that warm the cockles of President Trump’s most ardent opponents like the Steele dossier. Right there on paper is the alleged Russia conspiracy they had convinced themselves existed, complete with salacious scenes from Russian hotel rooms and shadowy meetings between Trump allies and Russian officials.

But as we’re finding out this week, while spreading unverified information that conforms to your preexisting beliefs may be cathartic, it can also be weaponized against you. And that is exactly what’s happening with the impending release of the Nunes memo. Continue reading “The memo, the dossier and the political weaponization of misinformation”

Comey praises FBI for speaking up against ‘weasels and liars’

The following article by Brett Samuels was posted on the Hill website February 1, 2018:

Former FBI Director James Comey on Thursday expressed appreciation for the FBI standing up against “weasels and liars” as debate rages over a classified memo that purports to show political bias within the Justice Department.

“All should appreciate the FBI speaking up. I wish more of our leaders would,” Comey tweeted.

Continue reading “Comey praises FBI for speaking up against ‘weasels and liars’”

A process that tarnishes the House

The following commentary from the Editorial Board of the Washington Post was posted on their website February 1, 2018:

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.). (Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

“WHAT THIS is not is an indictment of our institutions, of our justice system,” House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) said Thursday about the now infamous “Nunes memo.” “It does not impugn the Mueller investigation or the deputy attorney general,” the speaker insisted. Is this cynicism or naivete?

Discrediting law enforcement is the memo’s transparent purpose and why it has been embraced by President Trump. Written mainly by the staff of Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), the loose-cannon chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the memo reportedly makes the case that the FBI abused spying authorities as it sought permission to surveil a former Trump adviser. The Justice Department called its potential release, which Mr. Trump reportedly intends to approve, “extraordinarily reckless.” The FBI released its own startling public statement citing “grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.” Adam Schiff (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, wrote in a Post op-ed that the Nunes memo “cherry-picks facts, ignores others and smears the FBI and the Justice Department.” Continue reading “A process that tarnishes the House”

The sketchy past of the man at the center of the Republicans’ memo obsession

The following article by Judd Legum was posted on the ThinkProgress website February 1, 2018:

Carter Page, an unlikely choice for American hero.

Moscow, Russia-Dec. 12, 2016: Pagemakes a presentation titled ” Departing from Hypocrisy: Potential Strategies in the Era of Global Economic Stagnation, Security Threats and Fake News” during his visit to Moscow. Credit: Artyom Korotayev/TASS via Getty Images

The infamous Republican House Intelligence Committee memo, which alleges abuses by the FBI in its investigation of the Trump campaign, is expected to be released very soon.

To regular viewers of Hannity, this is the most monumental event since the moon landing. The rest of America, meanwhile, may be wondering what this is all about. It really comes down to one question: Was an obscure Trump adviser named Carter Page a legitimate subject of FBI surveillance, or was he targeted improperly?

For many, Americans the answer to this question is: I don’t really care. For everyone else, please read on. Continue reading “The sketchy past of the man at the center of the Republicans’ memo obsession”

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”

Rep. Nunes’s memo crosses a dangerous line

The following commentary by Adam B. Schiff was posted on the Washington Post website January 31, 2018:

Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) says the House Intelligence Committee vote to release documents alleging abuse in the FBI’s Russia probe marks a “very sad day.” (The Washington Post)

Adam B. Schiff, ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, represents California’s 28th District.

Even during the most difficult of times, when Congress had seemingly lost the capacity to govern and partisan storms raged across Capitol Hill, the intelligence committees remained largely insulated from the nation’s increasingly self-destructive politics.

No more. Continue reading “Rep. Nunes’s memo crosses a dangerous line”

Devin Nunes Won’t Say If He Worked With White House on Anti-FBI Memo

The following article by Betsy Woodruff and Spencer Ackerman was posted on the Daily Beast website January 30, 2018:

The House intel committee GOP leader refused to answer behind closed doors if he coordinated with the president’s team on his report blasting Rosenstein, Comey, and McCabe.

Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty

The Republican chairman of the House intelligence committee refused to answer when a colleague asked him if he had coordinated his incendiary surveillance memo with the White House, The Daily Beast has learned.

During Monday’s contentious closed-door committee meeting, Rep. Mike Quigley, a Democrat, asked Nunes point-blank if his staffers had been talking with the White House as they compiled a four-page memo alleging FBI and Justice Department abuses over surveillance of President Trump’s allies in the Russia probe. Continue reading “Devin Nunes Won’t Say If He Worked With White House on Anti-FBI Memo”

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”

6 things to know about the fight over Rep. Devin Nunes’ secret memo

The following article by Sarah D. Wire was posted on the Los Angeles Times website January 29, 2018:

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017. Susan Walsh/AP

Washington is abuzz over a secret memo that House Select Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, a California Republican from Tulare, has been pushing to release. The memo reportedly alleges senior FBI and Justice Department officials relied on questionable and politically motivated sources to justify surveillance of President Trump’s campaign.

In a highly unusual move Monday, the committee voted to declassify the memo, meaning the public could soon get a look at it. Continue reading “6 things to know about the fight over Rep. Devin Nunes’ secret memo”