Democrats release memo defending FBI
WASHINGTON: The Democrats on Saturday released the censored version of a classified memo to counter a Republican narrative that the FBI and US justice department conspired against President Donald Trump and his team as they investigated their alleged ties to Russia.
The release of the Democratic document came weeks after the Republicans released a memo of their own. The older memo, which is endorsed by Trump, contends that the justice department and the FBI depended on a “dodgy dossier” put together by a former British spy funded by Democrats to put surveillance on campaign aide Carter Page in 2016.
However, the Democratic memo argues that Page had been on the FBI’S radar much before the dossier surfaced.
“The Democratic response memo released should put to rest any concerns that the American people might have as to the conduct of the FBI, the justice department and the FISC (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court),” said Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee.
But the move was unlikely to put an end to the issue of the Russia probe. Trump tweeted: “The Democrat memo response on government surveillance abuses is a total political and legal BUST. Just confirms all of the terrible things that were done. SO ILLEGAL!”
Russian meddling into the 2016 US elections is under multiple investigations — by at least four congressional panels, by the intelligence and judiciary committees of the House and the Senate, and by special counsel Robert Mueller.