Advertisement

US House committee votes to release memo

The US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee has voted unanimously to release a Democratic rebuttal to a Republican memo alleging bias against President Donald Trump.

The memo, written by the panel’s Republicans accused the FBI and the Justice Department of abusing its power by investigating a Trump adviser in the Russian investigation.

Democratic representative Adam Schiff told reporters the document would now go to the White House on Monday night, and that it would be “very hard” for the Trump administration to block its release.

Mr Schiff and other Democrats have said that the Republican memo was inaccurate and misleading, and that the 10-page Schiff memo goes point-by-point to counter the charges in Intelligence chairman Devin Nunes’ memo.

The four-page Republican memo accused the FBI and justice department of using an unsubstantiated dossier to obtain a court’s permission in October 2016 to wiretap former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page.

President Trump will have five days to decide whether to block the release of the classified document.

Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer wrote to the president on Tuesday, saying it was a matter of “fundamental fairness” that the president approve the declassification of the memo.

The senator’s letter said if the Democratic memo is not released it “will confirm the American people’s worst fears”.

Mr Schumer argued “that the American people be allowed to see both sides of the argument and make their own judgements”.

Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter
Copyright © 2024 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.