Republican Chairman of the Oversight Committee Trey Gowdy said he doesn’t believe that the controversial Nunes Memo discredits the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Gowdy stated the importance of learning relevant facts laid out in the memo, but said he remains “100%” confident in special counsel Robert Mueller’s ability to conduct a thorough and fair investigation.
It is important for the American public to know if the dossier was paid for by another candidate, used in court pleadings, vetted before it was used, vetted after it was used, and whether all relevant facts were shared with the tribunal approving of the FISA application.
— Trey Gowdy (@TGowdySC) February 2, 2018
As I have said repeatedly, I also remain 100 percent confident in Special Counsel Robert Mueller. The contents of this memo do not – in any way – discredit his investigation.
— Trey Gowdy (@TGowdySC) February 2, 2018
Gowdy reiterated his position on CBS’ Face the Nation this morning. “There is a Russia investigation without a dossier…To the extent the memo deals with the dossier and the FISA process, the dossier has nothing to do with the meeting at Trump Tower…The dossier really has nothing to do with George Papadopoulos’ meeting in Great Britain. It also doesn’t have anything to do with obstruction of justice,” Gowdy said.
The memo alleges that the FBI and the Department of Justice used uncorroborated evidence laid out in the infamous Steele Dossier to obtain warrants to spy on the Trump campaign. The FBI and DOJ dispute those claims.
Gowdy also states his belief that the dossier played some role in getting those warrants approved, however. The dossier was not “the exclusive information” the FISA court used to approve the warrants but without it, Gowdy said, “[they] would not have been [approved].”
Gowdy was one of two lawmakers, along with House Intelligence Committee Chairman David Nunes, the memo’s author, who briefed FBI Director Christopher Wray on the memo and provided him with a copy one day before the Intelligence Committee voted to make it public.
The South Carolina lawmaker also stated that he still has confidence in “the overwhelming majority of the men and women” in federal law enforcement.
Gowdy announced that he will not be seeking reelection to Congress this year, opting instead to return to his law career. “Whatever skills I may have are better utilized in a courtroom than in Congress, and I enjoy our justice system more than our political system,” Gowdy said. He has served in the House since 2010.