House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes fired back at the FBI for criticizing a memo Nunes, along with other committee members, wrote detailing alleged abuses by the FBI of FISA. Nunes called the FBI’s objections to the publication of the memo “spurious,” and criticized them for resisting to cooperation with Congress for almost a year.
“Having stonewalled Congress’ demands for information for nearly a year, it’s no surprise to see the FBI and DOJ issue spurious objections to allowing the American people to see information related to surveillance abuses at these agencies….it’s clear that top officials used unverified information in a court document to fuel a counter-intelligence investigation during an American political campaign.”
“Once the truth gets out, we can begin taking steps to ensure our intelligence agencies and courts are never misused like this again,” Nunes added.
The memo alleges that the FBI and DOJ relied on unsubstantiated claims made in the now famous Steele Dossier to obtain FISA warrants to spy on members of the Trump campaign. Republican lawmakers have been urging Party leadership to make the memo public for weeks. The committee voted Monday to approve the publication of the memo. President Trump now has five days to approve or object to its release.
In a rare public statement, the FBI said it has “grave concerns” about the memo and its accuracy earlier today. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly has indicated that President Trump wants to see the memo made public. “This president wants everything out so the American people can make up their own minds, and if there’s people to be held accountable then so be it,” Kelly said in a radio interview earlier today.