Trump slams FBI, Justice Department over memo row
Washington : US President Donald Trump lashed out at the FBI and the Justice Department on Friday for “politicising the sacred investigative process”, ahead of the possible release of a highly-controversial Republican memo alleging the agency abused its surveillance tools.
“The top leadership and investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process in favour of Democrats and against Republicans — something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago. Rank & File are great people!” Trump tweeted.
Trump has frequently clashed with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department as the probe into the Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election continues.
The controversial memo, compiled by GOP staff for House Intelligence chair Representative Devin Nunes, accuses federal law enforcement officials of abusing their authorities when they sought permission to surveil former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
Debate over the memo’s release has caused a firestorm in Washington as many argue whether its publication would pose national security concerns.
Trump was expected to announce the release of the memo on Friday.
Democrats who have seen the memo say “it is a Republican attempt to push a narrative that would undercut the investigation into Russia’s 2016 election meddling and possible coordination with the Trump campaign”, the New York Times reported.
In response to Trump’s Twitter post, Representative Adam B. Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said “it was unthinkable that the top elected official in the US would release classified information to attack the FBI”.
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 supported the release of that second memo “in favour of greater transparency”, his spokeswoman AshLee Strong said.
“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,” Strong said.
The President has also denounced the Russian investigation and called it a “hoax and a witch hunt”.
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.
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