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<\/p>\nTrump Set to Release Sham Nunes Memo in Effort to Discredit Russia Investigation<\/b>
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Donald Trump is expected to approve the release of the sham Devin Nunes memo on Thursday morning following some redactions requested by the FBI, the Washington Post<\/em> reports<\/a>:<\/p>\n The redactions were the result of a review of the memo\u2019s classified contents by White House and intelligence community officials, including Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats. The memo, which has created a political firestorm, suggests that the early origins of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III\u2019s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election were tainted by political bias.<\/p>\n Trump has been telling friends he believes the memo will discredit the Russia investigation, CNN reports<\/a>:<\/p>\n In recent phone calls<\/a>, Trump has told friends he believes the memo would expose bias within the agency\u2019s top ranks and make it easier for him to argue the Russia investigations are prejudiced against him, according to two sources.<\/p>\n As the debate rages about whether the GOP memo is inaccurate and misleading \u2014 and whether it\u2019s appropriate to reveal such classified intelligence at all \u2014 Trump appears to be more preoccupied with the political calculus. He views the memo as proof the intelligence community was unfairly targeting him and fodder for his ultimate goal of bringing an end to the Russia investigation that he has dubbed a \u201cwitch hunt,\u201d sources said.<\/p>\n And Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) compared House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA), who prepared the hyper-partisan memo, to Joseph McCarthy in an interview on CNN: \u201cThe release of this memo is really reminiscent of the darkest days of the McCarthy era, with characterization assassinations.It endangers methods and sources of the intelligence community, and it reflects an effort to distract from the Mueller investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n Sen. Richard Blumenthal slams the potential release of the Nunes memo: “The release of this memo is really reminiscent of the darkest days of the McCarthy era” t.co\/iA9FW3QDb9<\/a> t.co\/0xqsENsKAf<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) February 1, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The memo,\u00a0which allegedly claims that the FBI and DOJ abused their power with regard to Trump campaign surveillance was altered by Nunes before he sent it to the White House, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said late on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Schiff said the document already had \u201cprofound distortions and inaccuracies\u201d before the changes were made, and called Nunes\u2019 actions \u201cdeeply troubling\u201d because the White House is now reviewing a document that was not shared with nor voted on by the entire House Intelligence Committee.<\/p>\n Schiff called on Republicans to withdraw the document it sent to the White House and called for a new vote on the memo and on another memo, written up by the Democrats on the committee. Majority Republicans have denied Democrats the opportunity to release a memo in response to the Nunes memo.<\/p>\n Tweeted Schiff: \u201cDiscovered late tonight that Chairman Nunes made material changes to the memo he sent to White House \u2013 changes not approved by the Committee. White House therefore reviewing a document the Committee has not approved for release.\u201d<\/p>\n BREAKING: Discovered late tonight that Chairman Nunes made material changes to the memo he sent to White House \u2013 changes not approved by the Committee. White House therefore reviewing a document the Committee has not approved for release. pic.twitter.com\/llhQK9L7l6<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) February 1, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n NBC News adds<\/a>:<\/p>\n Jack Langer, a spokesman for Nunes, confirmed that the memo had been edited, but he told NBC News that the changes included \u201cgrammatical fixes and two edits requested by the FBI and by the Minority themselves,\u201d referring to committee Democrats.<\/p>\n \u201cThe vote to release the memo was absolutely procedurally sound, and in accordance with House and Committee rules,\u201d Langer said. \u201cTo suggest otherwise is a bizarre distraction from the abuses detailed in the memo, which the public will hopefully soon be able to read for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n But a senior Democratic source on the Intelligence Committee disputed that account, telling NBC News that the changes weren\u2019t \u201ccosmetic.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cInstead, they try to water down some of the majority\u2019s assertions,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n In a rare public statement yesterday, the FBI disavowed the memo.<\/p>\n Said the FBI in its statement<\/a>: \u201cWith regard to the House Intelligence Committee\u2019s memorandum, the FBI was provided a limited opportunity to review this memo the day before the committee voted to release it. As expressed during our initial review, we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo\u2019s accuracy.\u201d<\/p>\n FBI Director Christopher Wray\u00a0has reportedly urged the White House<\/a>\u00a0not to release the memo. At his State of the Union address last night, Donald Trump was overheard telling a Republican lawmaker that\u00a0he\u2019s \u201c100 percent\u201d going to release the memo<\/a>.<\/p>\n The post Trump Set to Release Sham Nunes Memo in Effort to Discredit Russia Investigation<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
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