Trump in favor of releasing classified GOP memo on FBI

Republicans say it shows agency’s improper use of surveillance

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump was overheard Tuesday telling a Republican lawmaker he is “100 percent” in favor of releasing a classified memo on the Russia investigation that has sparked a political fight pitting Republicans against the FBI and the Justice Department.

“Don’t worry,” the president can be heard telling South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan on the House floor after his first State of the Union address. “100 percent.”

Duncan had implored Trump to “release the memo.”

The White House had said before the speech that it was still conducting a legal and national security review of the document, and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters earlier Tuesday that Trump still had not been briefed on its contents.

The memo arrived at the White House on Monday evening after Republicans on the House intelligence committee brushed aside opposition from the Justice Department and voted to release it. Under committee rules, the president has five days to object to its release.

The four-page memo was written by Republicans on the committee, led by chairman Rep. Devin Nunes of California, a close Trump ally who has become a fierce critic of the FBI and the Justice Department.

Republicans have said the memo reveals improper use of surveillance by the FBI and the Justice Department in the Russia investigation. Democrats have called it a selectively edited group of GOP talking points that attempt to distract from the committee’s own investigation into Russian meddling.

On Tuesday, House Speaker Paul Ryan said he supports the memo’s release, but doesn’t want Republicans to use it to attack special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election and whether Trump’s campaign was involved.

“This is a completely separate matter from Bob Mueller’s investigation and his investigation should be allowed to take its course,” Ryan said, noting that he also supports Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein who oversees Mueller.

Ryan said the memo shows “there may have been malfeasance at the FBI by certain individuals.” He did not provide additional details, saying only that “there are legitimate questions about whether an American’s civil liberties were violated by the FISA process,” a reference to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

It’s unclear how FBI malfeasance could have solely resulted in a judge signing off on a FISA warrant.