Release of controversial Republican memo fuels Trump and FBI distrust
"T he memorandum raises serious concerns about the integrity of decisions made at the highest levels of the Department of Justice and the FBI to use the govt's most intrusive surveillance tools against American citizens,"
SARAH SANDERS /White House Press Secretary
The bitterness between Donald Trump and the FBI has intensified after the release of a controversial Republican memo, with the president calling it a "disgrace" while the agency's chief pledging to defend his agents.
The memo which was released on Friday accuses senior law enforcement officials of misleading a court in order to conduct surveillance on a former Trump campaign adviser during its probe into the alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 election, reports PTI.
"The memorandum raises serious concerns about the integrity of decisions made at the highest levels of the Department of Justice and the FBI to use the government's most intrusive surveillance tools against American citizens," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. The memo, written by House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, alleges that the FBI used the opposition research dossier on Trump and Russia written by ex-British intelligence agent Christopher Steele to secure a FISA surveillance warrant on former Trump foreign policy adviser Carter Page without disclosing that the dossier was funded in part by Democratic sources.
Sanders said the decision to release the memo was made with input from the president's national security team — including law enforcement officials and members of the intelligence community. "..for whom the president has great respect. He is especially grateful to the hardworking rank-and-file public servants who work every day to keep America safe and uphold our laws while protecting the constitutional rights of all Americans," Sanders said. Noting that minority members of the Committee have reportedly drafted a separate memorandum, Sanders said the administration stands ready to work with Congress to accommodate oversight requests consistent with applicable standards, including the need to protect intelligence sources and methods.
Trump called the memo's contents "a disgrace".
"A lot of people should be ashamed of themselves," he said following the memo's declassification. Coming out in Trump's defence, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher said the memo "highlights a truth".
"The integrity of even our law enforcement and intelligence agencies can be politicised and compromised. From time-to-time, we all must be reminded of that vulnerability. That is why we must insist on congressional oversight of all federal agencies, especially of our foreign and domestic intelligence services," he said. Rohrabacher commended Trump for "standing up for transparency" and alleged that the Democrats tried to thwart the inquiry.