Nunes memo release - as it happened: Attorney General Jeff Sessions to refer Trump-Russia document to Department of Justice wtachdog
A controversial memo alleging abuse of authority by the FBI in its Russia investigation has been declassified and released to the public.
The memo, written by the staff of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, raises concerns about the FBI's use of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in relation into the investigation into possible connections between officials in Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Russia
Their findings "represent a troubling breakdown of legal processes established to protect the American people from abuses related to the FISA process", the document states.
Mr Trump allowed the House Intelligence Committee to release the report to the public on Friday without redactions. The president called the contents of the memo "a disgrace" and, in relation to the FBI, that "a lot of people should be ashamed of themselves". He declined to say whether he still had faith in Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general overseeing the federal investigation.
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Democrats claimed the release of the memo was an attempt to discredit this investigation – one which would set a dangerous precedent that would do "long-term damage" to the US intelligence community.
Much of the memo concerns the process by which the FBI obtained a FISA warrant to surveil former Trump campaign advisor Carter Page, claiming the warrant application was informed largely by a Democrat-funded opposition research dossier compiled by former MI6 agent Christopher Steele.
Republicans and Democrats have fiercely debated the release of the memo since last month, when Mr Nunes made it available to members of the House. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, claimed the memo "mischaracterises highly sensitive classified information" in order to suit Republicans' political aims.
“Chairman Nunes’ decision ... to publicly release misleading allegations against the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation is a shameful effort to discredit these institutions, undermine the Special Counsel’s ongoing investigation, and undercut congressional probes," Mr Schiff said.
The congressman claimed the FISA warrant to surveil Mr Page had been properly obtained, and was not based entirely on the Steele dossier. He added that Democrats would seek a vote to release their response to the memo, which he claimed pointed out several other factual errors.
The FBI cautioned against releasing the memo in a rare public statement this week, saying they had "grave concerns" about its accuracy.
Former FBI Director James Comey - fired by Mr Trump last year - tweeted that the newly released Republican-written memo doesn't add up to much. Mr Comey asked on Twitter, “That's it?”
He called the memo “dishonest and misleading” and not worth the damage it's done to public trust in U.S. intelligence agencies.
Mr Trump did not signal what, if any, other steps he would take in response to the memo.
"Congress will do whatever they're going to do," he said as he confirmed his support for the memo's release
