Trump gives OK to release Russia memo
UNITED STATES: Over the strong objections of his own Justice Department, US President Donald Trump will clear the way for the publication of a classified memo on the Russia investigation that Republicans say shows improper use of surveillance by the FBI, White House officials say.
The memo, prepared by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee, is said to allege
FBI misconduct in the initial stages of its investigation of potential ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign. Trump’s Justice Department and Democrats furiously lobbied Trump to stop the release, saying it could harm national security and mislead the public.
A White House official said yesterday Congress would probably be informed of the decision today, adding that Trump was ‘‘OK’’ with its release.
A second White House official said Trump was likely to declassify the congressional memo but the precise method for making it public was still being figured out.
The FBI’s stance means that Trump, by allowing the memo’s release, would be openly defying his own FBI director. It also suggests a clear willingness by FBI Director Christopher Wray, who in the early stretch of his tenure has been notably low-key, to challenge a president who just months ago fired his predecessor, James Comey.
The House intelligence panel voted along party lines on Tuesday to put the memo out, giving Trump five days to reject the release under committee rules. But Trump also has the power to declassify the document himself and either release it or hand it to Congress to release.
Trump has said he wants the memo released even after the FBI declared that it has ‘‘grave concerns’’ about its accuracy.
The document was written as part of an effort to reveal what Republicans say are surveillance abuses by the FBI and the Justice Department early in the Russia investigation, before Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to take it over. Senior FBI officials have also made direct appeals to the White House, warning that a release could set a dangerous precedent.
Democrats call the memo an attempt by Republicans to distract attention from the investigation into Russian meddling in the election that sent Trump to the White House.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer are pressing Speaker Paul Ryan to stop the memo’s release. Ryan responded that the Democrats were just out for political gain, saying the purpose of the memo was to reveal whether there had been abuses of surveillance laws.
‘‘This memo is not an indictment of the FBI or the Department of Justice, it does not impugn the Mueller investigation or the deputy attorney general,’’ he said, referring to Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller in May.
But California’s Adam Schiff, the leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said yesterThursdaythat Trump was looking for a reason to fire Mueller and Rosenstein. –AP