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Trump: Schiff and senior Obama intelligence figures are 'liars and leakers' Trump: Schiff and senior Obama intelligence figures are 'liars and leakers'
(about 2 hours later)
President attacks House intelligence committee’s top DemocratPresident attacks House intelligence committee’s top Democrat
What is the Nunes memo and why is it important?What is the Nunes memo and why is it important?
Martin PengellyMartin Pengelly
Mon 5 Feb 2018 13.41 GMT Mon 5 Feb 2018 16.17 GMT
Last modified on Mon 5 Feb 2018 14.19 GMT First published on Mon 5 Feb 2018 13.41 GMT
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Donald Trump attacked a laundry list of senior figures in the intelligence community as “liars and leakers” on Monday, chief among them the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, Adam Schiff.Donald Trump attacked a laundry list of senior figures in the intelligence community as “liars and leakers” on Monday, chief among them the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, Adam Schiff.
A prominent critic of the administration, Schiff opposed the release last week of a controversial memo, written by Republicans on the panel, about the investigation into ties between Trump aides and Russia. A prominent critic of the administration, Schiff opposed the release last week of a controversial memo, written by Republicans on the panel, about investigations into ties between Trump aides and Russia.
“Little Adam Schiff,” the president tweeted, “who is desperate to run for higher office, is one of the biggest liars and leakers in Washington, right up there with Comey, Warner, Brennan and Clapper!“Little Adam Schiff,” the president tweeted, “who is desperate to run for higher office, is one of the biggest liars and leakers in Washington, right up there with Comey, Warner, Brennan and Clapper!
“Adam leaves closed committee hearings to illegally leak confidential information. Must be stopped!”“Adam leaves closed committee hearings to illegally leak confidential information. Must be stopped!”
The other figures that Trump derided as “liars and leakers” have all either taken part in the investigation or criticised Trump regarding his conduct toward the intelligence community. Schiff responded, tweeting: “Mr President, I see you’ve had a busy morning of ‘Executive Time’. Instead of tweeting false smears, the American people would appreciate it if you turned off the TV and helped solve the funding crisis, protected Dreamers or … really anything else.”
They included James Comey, the FBI director whom Trump fired in May 2017, a key part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation; Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee; John Brennan, the former CIA director under Barack Obama; and James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence. Trump had earlier tweeted an erroneous claim about the British National Health Service and praise of the Fox News morning show Fox and Friends, which had aired an interview with former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage.
On Saturday, Trump claimed the four-page memo produced by Devin Nunes, the Republican chair of the House committee and approved for release by the White House, “totally” vindicated him in the investigation into Russian election meddling, links between Trump aides and Russia, and potential obstruction of justice. The other figures Trump derided as “liars and leakers” have all either taken part in the investigation or criticised Trump regarding his conduct toward the intelligence community.
Observers from both parties said that it did not, and the FBI had urged against the memo’s release, suggesting it was inaccurate and misleading. They were James Comey, the FBI director whom Trump fired in May 2017, a key part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation; Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee; John Brennan, the former CIA director under Barack Obama; and James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence.
Schiff is among the Democrats pushing for the release of a counter-memo. They say their document provides a more complete picture of how the FBI’s investigation unfolded in its early stages in 2016, including why agents grew suspicious of Trump campaign aides and to what extent they relied a dossier compiled by a former British spy, Christopher Steele, regarding links between Trump and Russia. On Saturday, Trump claimed the four-page memo produced by Devin Nunes, the Republican chair of the House committee, and approved for release by the White House, “totally” vindicated him in the investigation into Russian election meddling, links between Trump aides and Russia, and potential obstruction of justice.
A spokeswoman for Paul Ryan said on Friday that the Republican House speaker supported the release of the Democratic memo “if it is scrubbed to ensure it does not reveal sources and methods of our intelligence gathering”. Observers from both parties said that it did not. The FBI had urged against the memo’s release, suggesting it was inaccurate and misleading.
On Monday, Nunes also spoke to Fox and Friends. Trump praised the California representative on Twitter, calling him “a man of tremendous courage and grit” who “may someday be recognized as a Great American Hero for what he has exposed and what he has had to endure!”
Nunes told Fox and Friends there had been “almost 100 leaks that we believe have come from Democrats on the House intelligence committee”.
Last year, Nunes stood aside from his own panel’s Russia investigation, after he received classified information from staffers at the White House and then spoke to the press, prompting an ethics investigation. He was eventually cleared to return to the intelligence committee.
On Monday he told Fox and Friends that Democrats “advocated for my removal from the committee”.
“Why is that? It’s because we’ve been successful at getting to the bottom of a lot of real problems with the institutions within our government,” he said.
Nunes also claimed falsely that there was no evidence Trump had ever met George Papadopoulos, the campaign adviser who has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI regarding his contacts with Russians during the election. The FBI began its investigation after a tip about Papadopoulos, who knew that the Kremlin possessed hacked emails from the Democratic party before those emails’ release.
In March 2016, the Trump campaign posted to Instagram a picture of Trump meeting advisers including Papadopoulos.
Schiff is among Democrats pushing for the release of a counter-memo which they say provides a more complete picture of how the FBI’s investigation unfolded in its early stages in 2016, including why agents grew suspicious of Trump campaign aides and to what extent they relied a dossier compiled by a former British spy, Christopher Steele, regarding links between Trump and Russia.
A spokeswoman for Paul Ryan said on Friday the Republican House speaker supported the release of the Democratic memo “if it is scrubbed to ensure it does not reveal sources and methods of our intelligence gathering”.
Democrats, the FBI and the Department of Justice opposed the release of the Nunes memo on those grounds, saying it could compromise intelligence-gathering capabilities.Democrats, the FBI and the Department of Justice opposed the release of the Nunes memo on those grounds, saying it could compromise intelligence-gathering capabilities.
Nonetheless, the release of the Nunes memo contributed to speculation that Trump might move to fire Mueller or the deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the special counsel’s work. The release of the Nunes memo – which Schiff told ABC on Sunday was “a political hit job on the FBI in the service of the president” – contributed to speculation that Trump might now fire Mueller or the deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the special counsel’s work.
Figures connected to the White House said such a move was not on the cards. Former Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus, who left the White House last July, told NBC’s Meet the Press: “I never felt that the president was going to fire the special counsel. I never heard that.”
On Friday, a White House spokesman told CNN “no changes are going to be made at the Department of Justice”.On Friday, a White House spokesman told CNN “no changes are going to be made at the Department of Justice”.
On Sunday, former Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus, who left the White House last July, told NBC’s Meet the Press: “I never felt that the president was going to fire the special counsel. I never heard that.”
The New York Times reported last month that Trump ordered Mueller fired in June 2017, only to be thwarted when White House counsel Don McGahn threatened to resign on principle.
Trump denied that story, saying it was “fake news, folks, fake news”.
Trump-Russia investigationTrump-Russia investigation
Donald TrumpDonald Trump
Trump administrationTrump administration
US politicsUS politics
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