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President Donald Trump on Friday authorized the release of a highly-controversial memo authored by House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes.
The memo, whose release became imminent after Trump moved to declassify it, purports to show the Department of Justice abusing its surveillance authority to monitor Carter Page, a former Trump campaign aide.
“President Trump has approved the declassification of the document in full and it has been transmitted to the minority and majority of the House Intel Committee,” said White House spokesman Raj Shah. He added that the White House did not request any redactions to the memo.
Here’s the link to the released memo
Trump, addressing the memo’s release, said Friday, “A lot of people should be ashamed of themselves.”
“I think it’s a disgrace what’s happening in our country,” he said, adding that the memo had been sent to the House Intelligence Committee, which is expected to release it later today.
In particular, the memo purportedly shows that deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein acted improperly when he approved an application to extend counterintelligence surveillance of Page shortly after he took office last spring.
Asked on Friday whether reading the memo affected his confidence in Rosenstein and made it more likely that he would oust the deputy attorney general, Trump replied, “You figure that one out.”
Rosenstein is currently in charge of overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and whether members of the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow to tilt the election in his favor. Mueller is also examining whether Trump sought to obstruct justice when he fired FBI director James Comey last May.
If Trump fires Rosenstein, assistant attorney general Rachel Brand will assume oversight of the Russia probe.
‘Extraordinarily reckless’
The Nunes memo and its possible release have sparked a firestorm on Capitol Hill and within the intelligence community. Republicans say they want to release the document to promote transparency and hold law enforcement accountable, but Democrats have slammed it as a thinly veiled attempt to distract the public and discredit the agencies investigating the president and his associates.
Top intelligence and law enforcement officials have cautioned against the memo’s release.
FBI Director Christopher Wray and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein met Monday with White House chief of staff John Kelly to argue against releasing the memo, saying that the document contained several inaccuracies and that releasing it could expose sources and methods, according to The Washington Post
When Kelly didn’t budge, Wray again called him on Monday night, but was unsuccessful.
The next day, at least five FBI officials traveled to the White House to speak with Kelly about the memo, according to the report. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats also cautioned the chief of staff against releasing the document but appeared to be rebuffed as well.
The Justice Department, meanwhile, said it would be “extraordinarily reckless” for the House Intelligence Committee to approve the memo’s release without giving the DOJ enough time to review it and advise lawmakers about possible national security implications.