Feds OK lawmaker review of secret info
Trump’s chief of staff to broker arrangement
WASHINGTON — The White House said Monday that top FBI and Justice Department officials have agreed to meet with congressional leaders and “review” highly classified information the lawmakers have been seeking as they scrutinize the handling of the Russia investigation.
The agreement came after President Donald Trump demanded that the Justice Department investigate whether the FBI infiltrated his presidential campaign. It’s unclear exactly what the members will be allowed to review or whether the Justice Department will provide any documents to Congress.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump chief of staff John Kelly will broker the meeting between congressional leaders and the FBI, the Justice Department and the office of the Director of National Intelligence. She said the officials will “review highly classified and other information they have requested,” but she did not provide any additional detail.
During a meeting with Trump, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray also reiterated an announcement late Sunday that the Justice Department’s inspector general will expand an existing investigation into the Russia probe by examining whether there was any improper politically motivated surveillance.
Rep. Devin Nunes, head of the House intelligence committee, has been demanding information on an FBI source in the Russia investigation.
The Justice Department probe began in March at the request of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and congressional Republicans. Sessions and the lawmakers urged Inspector General Michael Horowitz to review whether FBI and Justice Department officials abused their surveillance powers by using information that had been compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele and paid for by Democrats to justify monitoring Carter Page, a former campaign adviser to Trump.
Horowitz said his office will look at those claims as well as communications between Steele and Justice and FBI officials.
The back and forth between the Justice Department and Congress began with a classified subpoena from Nunes in late April. The panel didn’t publicize the subpoena, but the Justice Department released a letter it sent to Nunes rejecting the request for information “regarding a specific individual.” The department said disclosure could have severe consequences, including potential loss of human life.
The Justice Department said the White House had signed off on its letter, but Nunes wasn’t satisfied and continued to pressure the department. Negotiations between House Republicans and the Justice Department appeared to stall last week ahead of Trump’s tweet, an apparent reversal of the White House’s initial policy.
Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the senior Democrat on the House intelligence committee, has called Trump’s claim of an embedded spy “nonsense.”
“His ‘demand’ DOJ investigate something they know to be untrue is an abuse of power, and an effort to distract from his growing legal problems,” Schiff tweeted. “Never mind that DOJ has warned that lives and alliances are at risk. He doesn’t care.”