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[[File:AdamSchiffModifiedMemo.pdf|thumb|Adam Schiff alleging Nunes of making material changes to memo after committee vote]] |
[[File:AdamSchiffModifiedMemo.pdf|thumb|Adam Schiff alleging Nunes of making material changes to memo after committee vote]] |
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The memo was produced by a small group of House Republicans and staff, led by Devin Nunes, as part of a secret partisan investigation (Democratic members of the relevant committee were not informed of the investigation) into how the FBI used the [[Trump–Russia dossier]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/20/house-republicans-quietly-investigate-doj-fbi-310121|title=House Republicans quietly investigate perceived corruption at DOJ, FBI|work=POLITICO|access-date=2018-01-25}}</ref> |
The memo was produced by a small group of House Republicans and staff, led by Devin Nunes, as part of a secret partisan investigation (Democratic members of the relevant committee were not informed of the investigation) into how the FBI used the [[Trump–Russia dossier]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/20/house-republicans-quietly-investigate-doj-fbi-310121|title=House Republicans quietly investigate perceived corruption at DOJ, FBI|work=POLITICO|access-date=2018-01-25}}</ref> Adam Schiff commented that Nunes hadn't read all of the relevant source material, though Nunes had argued for months that the FBI and DOJ had taken part in a conspiracy.<ref name="newsweek.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/devin-nunes-adam-schiff-secret-memo-release-memo-794957|title=Nunes "cherry-picked" details for the secret memo without even reading the source material: Top Democrat|date=January 30, 2018|publisher=|accessdate=February 1, 2018}}</ref> Nunes had previously recused himself from the committee's investigation into Russia's interference in US elections,<ref name="newsweek.com"/> due to a House Ethics investigation into Nunes' secret coordination with the White House. The House Ethics committee stated that "Nunes may have made unauthorized disclosures of classified information, in violation of House Rules, law, regulations, or other standards of conduct" (the ethics investigation ended when the committee was unable to obtain relevant classified information).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/house-intelligence-chairman-devin-nunes-recuses-himself-from-russia-probe/2017/04/06/8122b5bc-1ad2-11e7-855e-4824bbb5d748_story.html|title=House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes recuses himself from Russia probe|first=Karoun|last=Demirjian|date=April 6, 2017|publisher=|accessdate=February 1, 2018|via=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://theweek.com/speedreads/751784/report-ethics-investigation-into-nunes-ended-because-panel-couldnt-gain-access-classified-info|title=Report: Ethics investigation into Nunes ended because panel couldn't gain access to classified info|date=January 29, 2018|publisher=|accessdate=February 1, 2018}}</ref> However, after offering to step aside from the investigation into Russian interference, Nunes began his own "parallel" investigation, whose purpose appeared to be to undermine the original investigation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/nunes-russia-investigation-subpoenas-fusion-gps-trump-2017-10|title=Devin Nunes appears to be running a 'parallel' Russia probe without Democrats' consent|publisher=|accessdate=February 1, 2018}}</ref> |
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The memo reportedly states that Deputy Attorney General [[Rod Rosenstein]] approved a [[FISA]] application to extend the surveillance of [[Carter Page]] into the spring of 2017. The memo accuses the FBI and the Justice Department of failing to provide enough information about [[Christopher Steele]] to a FISA court judge.<ref name=LaFraniere>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/29/us/politics/release-the-memo-vote-house-intelligence-republicans.html|title=House Republicans Vote to Release Secret Memo on Russia Inquiry|first=Nicholas|last=Fandos|date=February 1, 2018|publisher=|accessdate=February 1, 2018|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Fandos |first1=Nicholas |last2=Goldman |first2=Adam |last3=LaFraniere |first3=Sharon |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/28/us/politics/rod-rosenstein-carter-page-secret-memo.html |title=Secret Memo Hints at a New Republican Target: Rod Rosenstein |date=January 28, 2018 |work=The New York Times |accessdate=January 29, 2018}}</ref> The memo "suggests that the FBI may have relied on politically motivated or questionable sources to justify its request for a secret surveillance warrant" in the early phases of the investigation into [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections]].<ref name="WaPo"/> People who have read Nunes' memo have said that it is inaccurate and that it omits key information on evidence other than [[Steele dossier|Steele's dossier]] which was used in the application for the FISA warrant.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/29/us/politics/fisa-surveillance-applications-how-they-work.html|title=How to Get a Wiretap to Spy on Americans, and Why That Matters Now|first=Charlie|last=Savage|date=February 1, 2018|publisher=|accessdate=February 1, 2018|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> |
The memo reportedly states that Deputy Attorney General [[Rod Rosenstein]] approved a [[FISA]] application to extend the surveillance of [[Carter Page]] into the spring of 2017. The memo accuses the FBI and the Justice Department of failing to provide enough information about [[Christopher Steele]] to a FISA court judge.<ref name=LaFraniere>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/29/us/politics/release-the-memo-vote-house-intelligence-republicans.html|title=House Republicans Vote to Release Secret Memo on Russia Inquiry|first=Nicholas|last=Fandos|date=February 1, 2018|publisher=|accessdate=February 1, 2018|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Fandos |first1=Nicholas |last2=Goldman |first2=Adam |last3=LaFraniere |first3=Sharon |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/28/us/politics/rod-rosenstein-carter-page-secret-memo.html |title=Secret Memo Hints at a New Republican Target: Rod Rosenstein |date=January 28, 2018 |work=The New York Times |accessdate=January 29, 2018}}</ref> The memo "suggests that the FBI may have relied on politically motivated or questionable sources to justify its request for a secret surveillance warrant" in the early phases of the investigation into [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections]].<ref name="WaPo"/> People who have read Nunes' memo have said that it is inaccurate and that it omits key information on evidence other than [[Steele dossier|Steele's dossier]] which was used in the application for the FISA warrant.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/29/us/politics/fisa-surveillance-applications-how-they-work.html|title=How to Get a Wiretap to Spy on Americans, and Why That Matters Now|first=Charlie|last=Savage|date=February 1, 2018|publisher=|accessdate=February 1, 2018|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> |
Revision as of 20:18, 1 February 2018
The Nunes memo or HPSCI memo is a four-page memo written by Republican staff members for U.S. Representative Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee (HPSCI), that alleges that the Federal Bureau of Investigation "may have relied on politically motivated or questionable sources" to obtain a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant in the early phases of the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.[2] Nunes had previously offered to step aside from the HPSCI Russia investigation after an inquiry into ethics violation and his secret coordination with the White House, although he then began his own secret "parallel" investigation and later claimed that he had never recused.
A social media campaign emerged in mid-January 2018 to publicly release the memo despite some of its classified contents. Russian-linked bots on Twitter helped spread the controversial hashtag "#ReleaseTheMemo".[3][4][5] The memo, and its release, have been part of an effort by Trump's political allies to shift focus away the ongoing Special Counsel investigation and to portray the investigators' conduct as the real scandal.[6]
Shortly after becoming a trending topic, the memo drew polarizing reactions from government officials and the media, generally along party lines.[7][8] The Justice Department (DOJ) released a letter to Congress calling a release of the memo without review reckless because it could expose intelligence sources and methods, while President Donald Trump called for its public release.[9] FBI Director Christopher A. Wray was allowed to read the memo and did so on January 28. On January 29, the majority of the House Intelligence Committee disregarded the DOJ's warnings and voted to approve its release.[10] In response to the memo, Democrats in the House Intelligence Committee drafted a ten-page rebuttal memo on January 24. Both memos were released to the full house.[11] The Republicans also voted against making public a competing memo Democrats had crafted, and rejected a proposal to give the Justice Department and FBI more time to vet document. The President has five days to review it before it can be released.[12]
Purported contents of the memo
The FBI takes seriously its obligations to the FISA Court and its compliance with procedures overseen by career professionals in the Department of Justice and the FBI. We are committed to working with the appropriate oversight entities to ensure the continuing integrity of the FISA process.
With regard to the House Intelligence Committee's 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's accuracy.
The FBI's statement on the Nunes memo, CNBC[13]
The memo was produced by a small group of House Republicans and staff, led by Devin Nunes, as part of a secret partisan investigation (Democratic members of the relevant committee were not informed of the investigation) into how the FBI used the Trump–Russia dossier.[14] Adam Schiff commented that Nunes hadn't read all of the relevant source material, though Nunes had argued for months that the FBI and DOJ had taken part in a conspiracy.[15] Nunes had previously recused himself from the committee's investigation into Russia's interference in US elections,[15] due to a House Ethics investigation into Nunes' secret coordination with the White House. The House Ethics committee stated that "Nunes may have made unauthorized disclosures of classified information, in violation of House Rules, law, regulations, or other standards of conduct" (the ethics investigation ended when the committee was unable to obtain relevant classified information).[16][17] However, after offering to step aside from the investigation into Russian interference, Nunes began his own "parallel" investigation, whose purpose appeared to be to undermine the original investigation.[18]
The memo reportedly states that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein approved a FISA application to extend the surveillance of Carter Page into the spring of 2017. The memo accuses the FBI and the Justice Department of failing to provide enough information about Christopher Steele to a FISA court judge.[19][20] The memo "suggests that the FBI may have relied on politically motivated or questionable sources to justify its request for a secret surveillance warrant" in the early phases of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.[2] People who have read Nunes' memo have said that it is inaccurate and that it omits key information on evidence other than Steele's dossier which was used in the application for the FISA warrant.[21]
Page has been the subject of FISA warrants by the FBI going back to 2014 when he was alleged to have been colluding with the Russian government or having knowingly worked as an agent on its behalf.[22] He originally came to the attention of the FBI counterintelligence unit prior to his becoming a Trump campaign adviser, when it learned that Russian spies were trying to use him as a source of information, and tried to recruit him as an agent.[23][24] Subsequently Page has claimed that the information he provided to the Russians was "innocuous".[23] The FISA warrants on Page have since been renewed more than once.[19] The fact that the Trump Department of Justice sought to renew the FISA warrant in 2017 shows that it had reasons to believe that Page was acting as a Russian agent.[19]
Purpose
Republicans posit that politically-motivated FBI employees have attempted to undermine the Trump presidency, citing the Trump-Russia dossier which was reportedly used as evidence for obtaining a FISA warrant to wiretap Carter Page.[6] According to this argument, the FBI did not disclose to the FISA court that their request for a warrant was dependent on evidence in the Trump-Russia dossier, a document funded in part by the Hillary Clinton Presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC).[25]
Trump's political allies have strived for weeks to shift focus away from the Special Counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections .[6] In the hours before the expected release of the memo, sources reported that Trump told his associates that the release the memo would discredit the investigation.[26]
Spread on social media
According to the Hamilton 68 project run by the bipartisan Alliance for Securing Democracy which tracks Russian propaganda efforts on Twitter, #ReleaseTheMemo was promoted by Russian twitter bot accounts, with a 230,000 percent spike in the promotion of the hashtag by these accounts.[27][4][3][5] However, Twitter stated that a "preliminary analysis of available geographical data for Tweets with the hashtag #ReleaseTheMemo ... has not identified any significant activity connected to Russia with respect to tweets posting original content to this hashtag."[28] According to an analysis by CNN the hashtag was pushed by over a thousand newly created accounts, of which 460 were without a profile picture. CNN also noted that the hashtag was promoted by prominent American conservatives and Republicans, including Donald Trump Jr. and Mark Meadows.[29] WikiLeaks has offered a reward for anyone that submits the document to them and used the hashtag with a link to their upload site.[3]
Responses
On January 19, a growing number of Republicans began calling for the release of the memo.[30][31] In response to news surrounding the memo, Fox News host Sean Hannity directed a message at former FBI Director Robert Mueller, saying "Your witch hunt is now over. Time to close the doors."[31] Donald Trump Jr. has also been a major proponent of its release.
Democrats have pushed back on the memo, with Adam Schiff, Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee, releasing a statement saying that it is "[r]ife with factual inaccuracies" that is "meant only to give Republican House members a distorted view of the FBI."[32] In response to the memo, Democrats in the House Intelligence Committee drafted a ten-page rebuttal memo on January 24th.[33][34] However, it was denied a public release on the same day the original memo was approved for release.[10]
Republicans sought a committee vote that would request the release through the President which would keep the memo confined to committee members until the President responds.[35] The memo could be made public by a vote in the House of Representatives if the President does not act or denies the request but no vote is scheduled for the full House. Glenn Greenwald called the campaign "a bizarre spectacle" since the Republicans are "holding a document that only they can release, while pretending to be advocating for its release."[36] Nunes and the House Intelligence Committee have denied access to the memo to the Senate Intelligence Committee and to the FBI, who stated a desire to investigate any alleged wrongdoing.[35] The Justice Department sent a letter to Nunes and called the release of the memo reckless.[1] Nunes' panel also refused to allow the FBI and the Department of Justice to view the memo, despite their requests.[37]
Adam Schiff released a statement and a letter to Devin Nunes at 19:00 January 31, 2018 stating; "BREAKING: Discovered late tonight that Chairman Nunes made material changes to the memo he sent to White House – changes not approved by the Committee. White House therefore reviewing a document the Committee has not approved for release."[38][39]
References
- ^ a b Jarrett, Laura (January 24, 2018). "Justice Dept.: 'Reckless' to release Nunes memo without review". CNN.
- ^ a b Parker, Ashley; Helderman, Rosalind S.; Dawsey, Josh; Leonnig, Carol D. (January 27, 2018). "Trump sought release of classified Russia memo, putting him at odds with Justice Department". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
investigation into Russian meddling," "written by staff members for House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and suggests that the FBI may have relied on politically motivated or questionable sources to justify its request for a secret surveillance warrant in the investigation's early phase.
- ^ a b c "Russia-linked Twitter accounts are working overtime to help Devin Nunes and WikiLeaks". Business Insider. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ a b Ryan Sit (January 24, 2018). "Russian Bots Might Be Behind Controversial #ReleaseTheMemo Campaign, Democrats Say". Newsweek. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
- ^ a b "Right's push to release memo on FBI 'abuses' endorsed by Russian bots". NBC News. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
- ^ a b c Savage, Charlie (January 30, 2018). "The Real Aim of the Nunes Memo Is the Mueller Investigation". The New York Times.
- ^ Editorial, Reuters. "Justice Dept warned White House about releasing memo - Washington Post". U.K. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
{{cite news}}
:|first=
has generic name (help) - ^ "Conservatives Brought Russia Probe Demand to Shutdown Talks". Bloomberg.com. January 19, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
- ^ Parker, Ashley; Helderman, Rosalind S.; Dawsey, Josh; Leonnig, Carol D. (January 27, 2018). "Trump sought release of classified Russia memo, putting him at odds with Justice Department". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
- ^ a b Demirjian, Karoun; Barrett, Devlin (January 29, 2018). "Republicans vote to release memo alleging FBI missteps while surveilling Trump campaign operative". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
- ^ Nerb, Jeremy; Raju, Manu (January 30, 2018). "Democrats' rebuttal memo criticizes Nunes as part of response". CNN. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
- ^ "House panel votes to release secret memo". POLITICO. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
- ^ Javers, Eamon; Breuninger, Kevin (January 31, 2018). "FBI says it has 'grave concerns' about accuracy of hotly debated FISA memo". CNBC. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
- ^ "House Republicans quietly investigate perceived corruption at DOJ, FBI". POLITICO. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ a b "Nunes "cherry-picked" details for the secret memo without even reading the source material: Top Democrat". January 30, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
- ^ Demirjian, Karoun (April 6, 2017). "House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes recuses himself from Russia probe". Retrieved February 1, 2018 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
- ^ "Report: Ethics investigation into Nunes ended because panel couldn't gain access to classified info". January 29, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
- ^ "Devin Nunes appears to be running a 'parallel' Russia probe without Democrats' consent". Retrieved February 1, 2018.
- ^ a b c Fandos, Nicholas (February 1, 2018). "House Republicans Vote to Release Secret Memo on Russia Inquiry". Retrieved February 1, 2018 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Fandos, Nicholas; Goldman, Adam; LaFraniere, Sharon (January 28, 2018). "Secret Memo Hints at a New Republican Target: Rod Rosenstein". The New York Times. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
- ^ Savage, Charlie (February 1, 2018). "How to Get a Wiretap to Spy on Americans, and Why That Matters Now". Retrieved February 1, 2018 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Phillips, Ariella (August 3, 2017). "Former Trump adviser Carter Page under FISA warrant since 2014: Report". Washington Examiner. Washington, DC.
Carter Page, a foreign policy adviser to during President Trump's campaign, has been the subject of a foreign surveillance warrant since 2014... ...Page has long been the subject of federal investigators throughout the Russia investigation amid allegations he either worked as an agent of a foreign government or colluded with one. He runs a New York consulting firm that has done business with Russia.
- ^ a b Nakashima, Ellen; Barrett, Devlin; Entous, Adam (April 11, 2017). "FBI obtained FISA warrant to monitor Trump adviser Carter Page". Retrieved February 1, 2018 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
- ^ Goldman, Adam (April 4, 2017). "Russian Spies Tried to Recruit Carter Page Before He Advised Trump". Retrieved February 1, 2018 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Chang, Alvin (February 1, 2018). "The Nunes memo, explained with diagrams". Vox (website). Retrieved February 1, 2018.
- ^ Liptak, Kevin; Collins, Kaitlan (February 1, 2018). "Trump sees Nunes memo as a way to discredit the Russia investigation". KITV. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
- ^ "Russia-linked Twitter accounts are working overtime to help Devin Nunes and WikiLeaks". Retrieved February 1, 2018.
- ^ Dwoskin, Elizabeth; Timberg, Craig (January 31, 2018). "Lawmakers press social media companies — again — on the forces behind the #ReleaseTheMemo campaign". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
- ^ O'Sullivan, Donie. "Hundreds of newly created Twitter accounts pushed #ReleaseTheMemo". CNNMoney. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
- ^ Schwartz, Sam. "What Is the Nunes Memo? Controversial Intelligence Document About Trump Campaign Surveillance Spawns #Releasethemem". No. 29 January 2018.
- ^ a b "GOP reps demand release of 'shocking' surveillance memo". The Hill. January 19, 2018.
- ^ "Republicans call for release of memo on alleged surveillance abuses". CBS News. January 19, 2018.
- ^ Demirjian, Karoun (January 24, 2018). "House Democrats plan memo to counter GOP's, as calls to declassify files grow". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ Eli Lake (January 25, 2018). "Russian Bots Are Right: #Releasethememo". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
- ^ a b "Senate panel denied access to Nunes FISA memo". CNN. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: Cite uses deprecated parameter|authors=
(help) - ^ Liautaud, Alexa (January 25, 2018). "These two deep-state conspiracy theories are driving Republicans nuts today". Vice News. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
- ^ Beavers, Olivia (January 26, 2018). "The classified Intel memo: What you need to know". Retrieved February 1, 2018.
- ^ Schiff, Adam (January 31, 2018). "BREAKING: Discovered late tonight that Chairman Nunes made material changes to the memo he sent to White House – changes not approved by the Committee. White House therefore reviewing a document the Committee has not approved for release.pic.twitter.com/llhQK9L7l6". @RepAdamSchiff. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
- ^ Demirjian, Karoun (January 31, 2018). "Schiff accuses Nunes of altering memo before sharing it with Trump for release". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
External links
- Five Questions the Nunes Memo Better Answer by Yale Law professor Asha Rangappa