FBI challenges White House over Russia case memo

WASHINGTON: The FBI warned on Wednesday it has “grave concerns” over the accuracy of a secret Congressional memo that could depict the agency as deeply politicised, as President Donald Trump’s top aide signalled the White House would allow the document’s release.

Based on highly classified information, the four-page memo – written by Republican lawmaker Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee – suggests that the Justice Department and the FBI abused their power in running surveillance on a member of President Donald Trump’s election campaign in 2016.

The Justice Department and the FBI have actively lobbied against its release, which has the potential to taint special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russians, an investigation that is edging closer to the president himself.

But White House chief of staff John Kelly said on Wednesday that the document could be made public soon, once White House lawyers have vetted it.

“It’ll be released here pretty quick, I think, and the whole world can see it,” Kelly told Fox Radio.

“This president ... wants everything out so the American people can make up their own minds. And if there are people to be held accountable, then so be it.”

The FBI stressed its concerns in an extraordinary, unsigned public statement that demonstrated its growing rift with Trump and Nunes, a staunch defender in Congress of the president.

“With regard to the House Intelligence Committee’s memorandum, the FBI was provided a limited opportunity to review this memo the day before the committee voted to release it,” it said.

“As expressed during our initial review, we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.”

In a statement, Nunes countered that it was “no surprise” that the Justice Department and FBI would oppose the release of “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,” he said. – AFP