The House Intelligence Committee voted to release a controversial memo detailing abuses by the FBI and DOJ in their execution of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The memo outlines the FBI’s use of baseless claims in the Steele Dossier to obtain FISA warrants allowing them to spy on the Trump campaign.
The DOJ had previously told House Intelligence Committee Chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes, the memo’s author, that it would be reckless to release it without allowing them to review the memo first. The FBI and DOJ have been prevented from seeing the memo. The memo also outlines the roles Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe played in the Trump-Russia investigation.
McCabe announced today that he will be stepping down from his position at the FBI effective immediately, due to issues cited in an upcoming inspector general’s report on the FBI’s conduct during the 2016 presidential election.
Under the rules of the committee, President Trump has five days to decide whether to allow the memo to be released to the public or object to it. The President, according to reports, wants to see the memo released. He believes it will “shed light” on the Russia investigations, according to his administration. The memo was to be sent over to the White House to be reviewed this evening.