The House Intelligence Committee on Monday evening voted to make public a GOP-crafted memo alleging what some Republicans say are “shocking” surveillance abuses at the Department of Justice (DOJ).
At the same time, the committee voted against making public a Democrat-drafted counter-memo.
While the panel voted to release that memo to the entire House, Republicans expressed concern that publicly releasing the minority memo would damage sensitive intelligence sources and methods, according to Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the committee’s ranking member.
Both votes — to release the GOP memo and withhold the Democratic one — were along party lines.
The move ends weeks of speculation over whether the memo, which was drafted by staff for Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), would be made public. But it intensifies the dispute over what Democrats say is an all-out assault by Republicans to undermine special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Stone-faced committee Democrats appeared in a phalanx after the vote, decrying what Schiff described as the crossing of “a deeply regrettable line in this committee, where for the first time in the ten years I’ve been on the committee, there was a vote to politicize the declassification process of intelligence.”
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#BREAKING: House Intel Committee votes to release classified Nunes memo https://t.co/YFYjPd4hPe pic.twitter.com/p2nVASUczZ
— The Hill (@thehill) January 29, 2018
Releasing the Nunes' memo but not the minority rebuttal or the supporting intel docs isn't just partisan games, it's junta BS. cc @GOP
— John Schindler (@20committee) January 29, 2018
House GOP lawmakers vote to make public a controversial memo accusing the FBI of abusing the FISA surveillance law, and vote against release of an opposing memo from Democrats https://t.co/LwqKUPURrO pic.twitter.com/phqSSTkLJK
— CNN (@CNN) January 29, 2018
Rep. Adam Schiff says he has not seen “any abuse of the investigative process” by the FBI or Justice Department, but has seen a “deliberate attempt” to distract attention from the Russia investigation https://t.co/wI48RqX46g pic.twitter.com/JxocUhgj74
— CNN (@CNN) January 29, 2018
Rep. Adam Schiff on the decision to release a classified memo: “That is apparently the standard now for the release of classified information. If it’s good for the President, then fine, regardless of its impacts” https://t.co/eLEcGulISs pic.twitter.com/syM7TSGtGJ
— CNN (@CNN) January 30, 2018
Rep. Adam Schiff says it is a “sad day" in the history of this committee after House intel Republicans vote to release their memo on the FBI but not the Democratic memo https://t.co/geJebXfyHE pic.twitter.com/Y0ZwczEvLK
— CNN (@CNN) January 29, 2018
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