This Friday, House Oversight Committee chairman Trey Gowdy (R-SC) said that while he believes Americans should be able to know how the so-called Trump dossier influenced the FBI’s surveilling of someone close to the Trump campaign, he still has full confidence in special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation.
In a series of tweets from this Friday, Gowdey said it’s important for the public to know “if the dossier was paid for by another candidate, used in court pleadings, vetted before it was used, vetted after it was used, and whether all relevant facts were shared with the tribunal approving of the FISA application.”
It is important for the American public to know if the dossier was paid for by another candidate, used in court pleadings, vetted before it was used, vetted after it was used, and whether all relevant facts were shared with the tribunal approving of the FISA application.
— Trey Gowdy (@TGowdySC) February 2, 2018
While this memo raises serious concerns with the FISA process, I have been and remain confident in the overwhelming majority of the men and women serving at the FBI and DOJ.
— Trey Gowdy (@TGowdySC) February 2, 2018
As I have said repeatedly, I also remain 100 percent confident in Special Counsel Robert Mueller. The contents of this memo do not – in any way – discredit his investigation.
— Trey Gowdy (@TGowdySC) February 2, 2018
“While this memo raises serious concerns with the FISA process, I have been and remain confident in the overwhelming majority of the men and women serving at the FBI and DOJ,” he added.
“As I have said repeatedly, I also remain 100 percent confident in Special Counsel Robert Mueller,” Gowdy continued. “The contents of this memo do not – in any way – discredit his investigation.”
From The Hill:
The memo, which was authored by staff members of Republicans on the committee, alleges that FBI and Justice Department officials misused their authority to obtain a secret surveillance order against Carter Page, a former adviser to the Trump campaign.
Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) pushed for the memo’s release.
The memo also takes aim at Christopher Steele, the former British intelligence agent behind a controversial opposition research dossier that formed part of the surveillance warrant application for Page.
Republicans on the committee argued that releasing the memo was necessary, because it shed light on potential abuses by federal law enforcement officials, as well as on the origins of the Russia investigation.
But Justice Department and FBI officials, as well as Democrats, have argued that it omits key information that would help put the memo in the proper context.
The House Intelligence Committee voted this Monday to release the document, leaving it to Trump to decide whether or not to keep it classified. The memo was declassified this Friday afternoon and was released shortly afterward.
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