Trump says White House to issue letter on Democratic Russia memo

[rooster59]

Trump says White House to issue letter on Democratic Russia memo

By Ayesha Rascoe

 

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 9, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Friday the White House would soon release a letter regarding the possible release of a classified memo written by Democrats to rebut a Republican document claiming FBI and Justice Department bias against him in the federal probe of Russia and the 2016 U.S. election.

 

The House of Representatives Intelligence Committee voted unanimously on Monday to release the 10-page document drafted by the panel's Democrats, contingent on the Republican president agreeing to reclassify it. If Trump approves the release, it would then be up to the committee to make it public.

 

"We're going to release a letter soon," Trump told reporters after an event in the Oval Office, but did not specify what the letter would say.

 

Trump on Feb. 2 allowed the release of the earlier memo written by the committee's Republicans, escalating a campaign criticizing current and former senior law enforcement officials. Democrats said the Republican memo mischaracterised highly sensitive classified information and was intended to discredit Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of potential collusion between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia.

 

Mueller also is investigating whether Trump has committed obstruction of justice in trying to impede the Russia probe.

 

The Republican memo portrayed the Russia investigation as a product of political bias at the FBI and Justice Department against Trump. The president said the document "totally vindicates" him in the Russia investigation, a claim disputed by Democrats and some Republicans.

 

Democrats last week warned Trump against using the Republican memo as a pretext to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who hired Mueller and oversees the investigation, or to remove Mueller himself. The Republican memo singled out Rosenstein and several other officials by name, including former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey, who Trump fired in May 2017, as the agency investigated the Russia matter.

 

Mueller took over the investigation from the FBI.

 

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential campaign using hacking and propaganda, an effort that eventually included attempting to tilt the race in Trump's favour. Russia denies interfering in the election. Trump denies collusion with Moscow.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-02-10

[Get Real]

18 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential campaign using hacking and propaganda, an effort that eventually included attempting to tilt the race in Trump's favour. Russia denies interfering in the election. Trump denies collusion with Moscow.

The day of the deniable news made up by fake and deniable people in deniable power positions.

[Silurian]

Trump will not declassify Democrats' current memo, White House says

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dem-fisa-memo-trump-today-2018-02-09-live-updates/

 

And there it is. The hypocritical nature of the WH and their followers. It was okay to release the republican memo even before it was vetted by the "untrustworthy" Justice Department. Now, that same "untrustworthy" Justice Department is being used as an excuse for blocking the release of the democrats memo. So the WH only trusts the Justice Department when it coincides with their concerns?

 

Will we now hear any shouting from the #releasethememo crowds? Or will those same people be silent or even proclaim some issue with releasing the democratic memo that they didn't have with the republican one?

 

This blocking of the democrats memo is a glaring beacon of hypocrisy. It is a klaxon blaring out how the WH is still attempting to obstruct justice and it pathetic attempts to sway public opinion.

[Trouble]

45 minutes ago, Silurian said:

Trump will not declassify Democrats' current memo, White House says

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dem-fisa-memo-trump-today-2018-02-09-live-updates/

 

And there it is. The hypocritical nature of the WH and their followers. It was okay to release the republican memo even before it was vetted by the "untrustworthy" Justice Department. Now, that same "untrustworthy" Justice Department is being used as an excuse for blocking the release of the democrats memo. So the WH only trusts the Justice Department when it coincides with their concerns?

 

Will we now hear any shouting from the #releasethememo crowds? Or will those same people be silent or even proclaim some issue with releasing the democratic memo that they didn't have with the republican one?

 

This blocking of the democrats memo is a glaring beacon of hypocrisy. It is a klaxon blaring out how the WH is still attempting to obstruct justice and it pathetic attempts to sway public opinion.

So all the Dems have to do is make a few edits and resubmit.  They will do that and it will be released.  There was actually very little in the Republican memo that mentioned any significant sources or methods.  Can't figure out in that case what all the worry was about by the Dems over releasing it.  We have not seen the Dems memo and the Republican committee members voted to release it.  So before saying the WH is hypocritical let's just wait a bit and 10 to 1 a revised memo is ultimately released.

[Silurian]

7 minutes ago, Trouble said:

So all the Dems have to do is make a few edits and resubmit.  They will do that and it will be released.  There was actually very little in the Republican memo that mentioned any significant sources or methods.  Can't figure out in that case what all the worry was about by the Dems over releasing it.  We have not seen the Dems memo and the Republican committee members voted to release it.  So before saying the WH is hypocritical let's just wait a bit and 10 to 1 a revised memo is ultimately released.

 

Oh I see. The republican memo was released without passing by the FBI and Justice Department first and then released with no edits or redactions. But the Democratic memo which was already passed by the FBI and Justice Department before going to the WH suddenly has to undergo enhanced scrutiny. Yeah, nothing hypocritical about that at all, sure.

 

No, the WH is trying to hide something damaging to themselves and they won't have it. Just another cover up among all the other WH cover ups.

[stevenl]

24 minutes ago, Trouble said:

So all the Dems have to do is make a few edits and resubmit.  They will do that and it will be released.  There was actually very little in the Republican memo that mentioned any significant sources or methods.  Can't figure out in that case what all the worry was about by the Dems over releasing it.  We have not seen the Dems memo and the Republican committee members voted to release it.  So before saying the WH is hypocritical let's just wait a bit and 10 to 1 a revised memo is ultimately released.

"Can't figure out in that case what all the worry was about by the Dems over releasing it."

So you wonder why people object against releasing an incorrect and purposefully misleading memo.

[Srikcir]

The Democrat memo was sent to Trump by unanimous vote of the House Intelligence Committee chaired by Nunes. The ranking Democrat will now request Nunes to unilaterally release the memo to the public. I don't expect Nunes will approve such release and insist the memo fully comply with FBI concerns that were no different with the Republican memo that went to Trump unchanged.

 

The Democrats will then have to appeal to Ryan as Speaker of the House to replace Nunes as chairman of the HIC for violating his recusal from the Russian investigation for a second time and impeding the Committee investigation. With the passage of the tax cut bill and the federal budget, Ryan might feel independent enough of his party leader Trump to do so. I'd give it a 50-50. 

Ryan might do better to "suggest" Nunes honor his recusal, make some very minor changes to the Democrat memo as a symbolic concession to Trump and the FBI, and release the memo to the public by unanimous Committee vote.

[joecoolfrog]

Poor Trump , he wanted to be just like Putin but its a bit harder to become a dictator in the USA.

[Langsuan Man]

13 hours ago, joecoolfrog said:

Poor Trump , he wanted to be just like Putin but its a bit harder to become a dictator in the USA.

I don't know about that, with his enablers in Congress, Trump is well on his way in emulating Putin