Here is a full text copy of the much-disputed memo from GOP lickspittle Devin Nunes on Russia, which President Donald Trump approved in defiance of FBI and Justice officials. Short version: Much ado over a thinly sourced document that trips over itself, and provides nothing new of substance.
The memo claims FBI abused surveillance powers, and blame the Steele dossier for unauthorized surveillance of Donald Trump, plus something something Carter Page. You see if you can figure it out. The intelligence community disputes these and other claims in the rambling document. PDF embed of the memo follows. Have at it.
House Intel Memo on FISA by Xeni Jardin on Scribd
And here is the FBI Agents Association response, issued shortly after the Nunes memo's release. The agency says its 'agents have not, and will not, allow partisan politics to distract' from their mission.
1/2 Statement from FBIAA President Tom O'Connor (@tfoconnor83): "The men and women of the FBI put their lives on the line every day in the fight against terrorists and criminals because of their dedication to our country and the Constitution."
— FBI Agents Assoc. (@FBIAgentsAssoc) February 2, 2018
2/2 "The American people should know that they continue to be well-served by the world's preeminent law enforcement agency. FBI Special Agents have not, and will not, allow partisan politics to distract us from our solemn commitment to our mission."
— FBI Agents Assoc. (@FBIAgentsAssoc) February 2, 2018
Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Devin Nunes (R-CA) arrives for the State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. January 30, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts – RC1DB7054240
Political/Media tweets of note follow.
My reaction to #NunesMemo: THAT'S IT? Vast majority of this was already publicly known, memo itself omits that Fusion GPS started its work for Republicans, and NOTHING IN HERE MERITS CRITICISM OF ROSENSTEIN who is mentioned only once and in passing. This is a complete sham.
— Norm Eisen (@NormEisen) February 2, 2018
I have no idea how the rest of NatSec and politics Twitter is reacting to the Nunes memo. I'm going to check now. But having just read it, here's my sober assessment of what it reveals: pic.twitter.com/jzYxk303Sm
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) February 2, 2018
just in via text from carter page to me ?? pic.twitter.com/0MlmAIe99y
— kelly cohen (@politiCOHEN_) February 2, 2018
The FISA warrant on Carter Page was renewed three times. That means DOJ presented the court evidence that shows it got information corroborating the original warrant. The Steele dossier becomes irrelevant.
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) February 2, 2018
The whole memo reads like it was written by an overeager production assistant on Hannity. It contains no quotes or other attribution for its animating claims, and when it runs out of gas in a logical sequence, rather than acknowledging any uncertainty, it simply shifts subjects.
— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) February 2, 2018
NBC News: The memo states that the surveillance on Carter Page was authorized on October 21, 2016. That's nearly a month after Page left the Trump campaign.
— Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) February 2, 2018
Interested in letter from Don McGahn explaining the memo's release. The letter says Pres Trump is doing this because "public interest in disclosure outweighs any need to protect information." That is a message that can be used over and over again to defy FBI concerns in future.
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) February 2, 2018
Oh for fuck's sake. Page's trip to Moscow was public; he delivered a speech at a well-know Moscow institute, which advertised the event. FISC didn't need Isikoff or Steele to confirm that! pic.twitter.com/fK8mHAdKey
— Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) February 2, 2018
TWO KEYS TO READING THIS MEMO:
1. What it says – that top FBI officials left out evidence of anti-Trump bias in the FBI2. What it doesn't say. It does not say anyone but DOJ's Ohr knew ahead of the election of Steele's alleged bias or of Ohr's own alleged conflict.
— Lisa Desjardins (@LisaDNews) February 2, 2018
Just a reminder that Russia's foreign intelligence service was looking to recruit Carter Page in 2013 https://t.co/vsMenCyd3c
— Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) February 2, 2018
House Judiciary Committee Democrats: Republicans are complicit in efforts to obstruct justice with the release of the Nunes memo. pic.twitter.com/Kw0vAEFNIR
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 2, 2018
This memo says it is written by GOP House "staff" to their GOP House bosses.
The Trump WH letter adds "to be clear," the memo reflects "judgments of its congressional authors" – meaning, Republican staffers on the committee.
— Ari Melber (@AriMelber) February 2, 2018
Honestly, that was a weird read. Maybe it's because I'm reading this stuff every day, but there was nothing surprising there. And, without the initial application, there's no way to judge (1) whether the application was appropriate and (2) whether the FISC order was appropriate.
— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) February 2, 2018
Imagine if Nunes just stood in the House and said, "I have evidence the FBI relied on the unconfirmed Steele dossier in applying for a warrant of a Trump adviser – and I know Steele told someone he hated Trump."
It'd get like four minutes of coverage. But that's all The Memo is.
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) February 2, 2018
Wait, doesn't this last graf undermine… like, the purported thesis of the entire memo? pic.twitter.com/VggE6njZcu
— Jay Willis (@jaywillis) February 2, 2018
This seems to be one of the big takeaways. The very last item on the very last page. The Nunes memo says: "the Papadopoulos information triggered the opening of an FBI counterintelligence investigation in late July 2016." pic.twitter.com/Ml9mZKWWs2
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 2, 2018
Statement of @DevinNunes: pic.twitter.com/8aQWEBZNUH
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) February 2, 2018
The best thing about the Nunes Memo is it supposes that Carter Page wasn't being cultivated by the Kremlin since 2003.
— Anthony De Rosa ? (@Anthony) February 2, 2018
"A lot of people should be ashamed of themselves and much worse than that," said Pres Trump of the actions described in the memo from the Republican staff of the House Intell Committee. Repeats: "A lot of people should be ashamed." pic.twitter.com/wsNOfDJqkx
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) February 2, 2018
The logic in this memo is kind of amazing.
Imagine if everyday burglars and car thieves started making this argument.
The police are biased against criminals, so they shouldn't be allowed to investigate us.
— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) February 2, 2018
Updated my timeline of the Page warrant/memo with new details from the memo. https://t.co/ZYQnI1giJM
— Philip Bump (@pbump) February 2, 2018
The notion that the FBI shouldn't pursue a credible counterintelligence investigation because the evidence came from a partisan source is insane. In fact, that would be a scandal.
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) February 2, 2018
One thing the memo doesn't say: WHY Chris Steele was so desperate for Trump not to be president.
This passage looks very different if his disdain for Trump was based on his intel gather than if it was ideological –> pic.twitter.com/1JZI0xnHaD
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) February 2, 2018
[DOCUMENT: Source, and an alternate link]
