As the rhetoric over the controversial intelligence memo written by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) has intensified, the Justice Department has spoken out, warning Nunes about releasing the document.
The Washington Examiner obtained a letter sent to Nunes by the Justice Department that said that “it would be extraordinarily reckless for the Committee to disclose such information publicly,” and requested that it be given a chance to review the memo to see how it might affect matters of national security.
A spokesman for Nunes said that wouldn’t happen.
“Agencies that are under investigation by congressional committees don’t typically get access to the committees’ investigative documents about them,” said Nunes’ communication director, Jack Langer.
The memo has become a flashpoint in just over a week since its existence was revealed. Written by Nunes, it purports to reveal how President Barack Obama and the FBI abused the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to spy on the Trump campaign. Since writing the memo, Nunes has kept it under lock and key but allowed members of the House to view it. Some, after seeing it, have flown into a fit of rage on Twitter.
I have read the memo. The sickening reality has set in. I no longer hold out hope there is an innocent explanation for the information the public has seen. I have long said it is worse than Watergate. It was #neverTrump & #alwaysHillary. #releasethememo
— Steve King (@SteveKingIA) January 21, 2018
It’s naturally become a partisan flashpoint, with Republicans siding with Nunes and Democrats coming out against the memo, accusing it of being willfully misleading.
Mueller subpoenas Bannon,
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) January 24, 2018
Nunes produces spin memo;
Mueller interviews Sessions,
Johnson claims secret society in FBI;
Mueller calls in the President,
then what does GOP do…
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, said he is planning on writing his own memo, which will supposedly set the record straight on the Nunes memo.
In its letter to Nunes, the Justice Department said it was unaware of any wrongdoing over FISA.
According to the Examiner, the House Committee plans on voting on the memo’s release in the coming weeks. If they approve its release, President Trump still has the authority to keep it classified.