President Trump, as he should, took to defending his decision to withhold the release of the Democrats’ memo on the Russia probe video Twitter, saying that they knew it would be too sensitive for public release.
“The Democrats sent a very political and long response memo which they knew, because of sources and methods (and more), would have to be heavily redacted, whereupon they would blame the White House for lack of transparency,” Trump tweeted early Saturday morning. “Told them to re-do and send back in proper form!”
The Democrats sent a very political and long response memo which they knew, because of sources and methods (and more), would have to be heavily redacted, whereupon they would blame the White House for lack of transparency. Told them to re-do and send back in proper form!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 10, 2018
And without missing a beat, the decision to withhold the memo was criticized by Democrats across the board:
“President Trump’s refusal to release (the) memo is a stunningly brazen attempt to cover up the truth about the Trump-Russia scandal from the American people,” said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. “The president’s decision to block the Democratic memo from release is part of a dangerous and desperate pattern of cover-up on the part of the president.”
Make no mistake here, folks… this was their plan all along. It makes Trump seem more partisan, or at least that’s probably what they’re hoping.
“One week after he released the misleading and incomplete Nunes memo, President Trump tonight blocked the release of the Schiff memo that sought to fill in the holes. This is hypocrisy at its worst. ”
One week after he released the misleading and incomplete Nunes memo, President Trump tonight blocked the release of the Schiff memo that sought to fill in the holes. This is hypocrisy at its worst. (1/3)
— Senator Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) February 10, 2018
As reported by Fox News:
The Democrat memo counters a document in which Republican leaders of the GOP-controlled committee allege government abuse in the Russian probe. Trump declassified the GOP memo last week, allowing its publication despite objections from the Justice Department.
The memo argues the FBI and Justice Department, at least in part, used a loosely-vetted, Trump opposition-research dossier by former British spy Christopher Steele and financed in part by Democrats, to apply for a surveillance warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance, or FISA, court on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
California Rep. Adam Schiff, the committee’s top Democrat, on Friday argued that Trump is treating the two memos differently, saying the president is now seeking revisions by the same committee that produced the original Republican memo.
