Trump lashes out at Schiff over Russia probe memo
President Donald Trump traded insults with California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, on Monday as the panel appeared poised to vote to release another classified memo on FBI surveillance powers.
The latest memo was composed by Democrats and is intended to counter a formerly top secret GOP document, declassified by Trump last week, that questioned the FBI methods used to apply for a surveillance warrant on a onetime Trump campaign associate. If the panel votes to release the Democrats’ memo Monday evening, Trump would then have five days to decide whether to allow it.
Earlier Monday, Trump resorted to his occasional namecalling on Twitter, labeling Schiff “one of the biggest liars and leakers in Washington.’’ He added that Schiff “must be stopped.’’
Schiff quickly shot back: “Instead of tweeting false smears, the American people would appreciate it if you turned off the TV and helped solve the funding crisis, protected Dreamers or ... really anything else.’’
White House spokesman Raj Shah took a more measured approach, saying Trump would “consider’’ the Democratic memo’s release the same as the Republican document, “which is to allow for a legal review, national security review led by the White House counsel’s office.’’
At least six Republicans have indicated that they intend to vote to release the Democratic memo, giving Democrats the votes they need to send it to Trump. Spokespeople for Republican Reps. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, Peter King of New York, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, Rep. Frank LoBiondo of New Jersey and Mike Turner of Ohio said those lawmakers were certain or likely to vote for the memo’s release. Utah. Rep. Chris Stewart said last week that he would also vote for it.
House Speaker Paul Ryan has said he supports the release of the Democrats’ memo, if sensitive intelligence information is removed.
Key Democrats are seeking to put out the document. The Senate’s Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, urged Trump to back the public release and said refusing to do so would show the president’s intent to undermine the Russia investigation.
On Sunday, Democrats and Republicans said Trump was wrong to assert that the GOP-produced memo cleared him in the Russia investigation. Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating possible collusion between the Trump 2016 presidential campaign and Russia as well as whether there have been efforts to obstruct the investigation.
Trump tweeted over the weekend that the memo “totally vindicates ‘Trump’ in probe’’ even as “the Russian Witch Hunt goes on and on.’’ But that statement found no echo from four committee Republicans who appeared on the Sunday talk shows. Lawmakers also said the memo should not impede Mueller.
“I think it would be a mistake for anyone to suggest that the special counsel shouldn’t complete his work. I support his work. I want him to finish it. I hope he finishes it as quickly as possible,’’ Rep. Stewart said.
Schiff has branded the GOP memo “a political hit job’’ and has questioned whether House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., had co-ordinated with the White House in drafting the document seized on by the president to vent his grievances against the nation’s premier law enforcement agencies.