As the case of collusion and obstruction of justice appears to be heating up against Donald Trump, “The Donald” is bragging that he is holding a “Trump Card” (pun intended) that will prove his innocence: the Nunes Memo. Will this be the “Get Out Of Jail Free” pass that saves his ass? Don’t bet on it!
Politics
In case you’re unaware, the Nunes Memo is a series of notes scribed by Republican Congressman and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes during the congressional investigation into Trump’s alleged collusion with Russia (NOTE: The congressional investigation is separate from the Robert Mueller investigation). The memo alleges that the FBI “may have relied on politically motivated or questionable sources” to obtain a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant in the early phases of their investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
As chairman of the House committee, Nunes has held control of the secret notes. However, as a Republican with a history of attempting to assist Trump in covering his tracks, the congressman is being accused of tainting the House investigation by doctoring the contents of the Nunes Memo to Donald Trump’s advantage.
Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, announced on Wednesday that Nunes delivered to Trump a “secretly altered” version of the Republican-crafted memo which claims the US Justice Department abused their surveillance powers regarding Trump. According to Schiff, the expression of alleged abuse was never approved by the full committee to be recorded in the confidential memo (as protocol dictates), and should never have appeared in the Nunes Memo presented to Donald Trump.
Since obtaining a copy of the (doctored to his advantage) memo, Trump has threatened to release it to the public on Friday in an attempt to sway the court of public opinion that the investigation is a partisan witch-hunt out to get him.
BREAKING: Discovered late tonight that Chairman Nunes made material changes to the memo he sent to White House – changes not approved by the Committee. White House therefore reviewing a document the Committee has not approved for release. pic.twitter.com/llhQK9L7l6 — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) February 1, 2018
“This evening the Committee Minority discovered that the classified memorandum shared by the Committee Majority with the White House is not, in fact, the same document that Members of the House of Representatives have been reviewing since January 18, 2018 and that the Committee Majority voted on Monday to release to the public, over objections from the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” the letter from Schiff read.
Schiff went on to say that Democrats found the document “had been secretly altered” and that “it is clear” Republicans “made material changes to the version it sent to the White House, which Committee Members were never apprised of, never had the opportunity to review and never approved.”
Hold your horses… that is only the beginning.
Politics
In an 11th-hour development, FBI Director Christopher Wray has since sided with Democrats that the Nunes Memo was indeed doctored and, if released in its current form, will grossly mislead the American public.
“With regard to the House Intelligence Committee’s memorandum, the FBI was provided a limited opportunity to review this memo the day before the committee voted to release it,” Wray said in a rare public warning that the memo’s details regarding the FBI’s surveillance practices omits key information that could impact its veracity. “As expressed during our initial review, we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.”
Hmmm…
Wray’s surprise statement has now set up an angry showdown between Donald Trump and the man he hand-selected to be former FBI Director James Comey’s replacement (and who he erroneously believed would do his bidding). Additionally, the combined claims by the House committee’s ranking Democrat and Trump’s own FBI pick that the Nunes Memo has been doctored by Republicans and is therefore invalid, will now force “The Donald” to change course.
Earlier this week, Trump boasted that the Nunes Memo would be released “pretty quick” and that “the whole world will see it.” Now, with the statements from Adam Schiff and Christopher Wray, he has been blasted back to the drawing board and reality. Or, in other words, Trump’s “Trump Card” has just been revoked.
Stay tuned…
Very good post DJ. Nicely detailed. Glad you jumped on this.
I have 1 or 2 thoughts on the *Nunes Memo* but first I’d like to quickly share this related story just as an FYI…….
“Trey Gowdy finally had it with Washington”
The influential chairman of the House Oversight Committee is sick of {partisan} politics and won’t seek reelection. – Politico
Trey Gowdy is, IMO, as loathsome as Devin Nunes. He can be just as partisan. But unlike Nunes, Gowdy isn’t a stupid man. Apparently he’s has had enough of this ginormous sh*tfest (aka the Trump presidency) and he’s heading for the EXITS!
My guess is, Trey arrived at the conclusion that things probably *AIN’T* gonna end well for Trump and the Republican party……so Yeah, he’s getting out now. Going home to the wife and kids.