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Representative Mark Meadows (left) listens to Representative Jim Jordan (C) at a press conference with his Republican counterparts on Thursday at Capitol Hill. (Michael Reynolds / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock)
A group of conservative Republicans is asking President Trump to declassify, over the next week, several key documents from the FBI's investigations into the president's alleged ties to Russia. This decision would bypass clashes between federal forces for months to obtain information.
"Mr. Speaker, we need your help," said Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) At a news conference announcing the call, promising that the information would help the members to expose "the basis for investigations that continue elected president of the United States."
Members, led by Representative Lee Zeldin (RN.Y.), ask Trump to publicly publish 20 pages of the FBI's request to conduct a surveillance against former Trump campaign advisor, as well as footnotes of page. collection techniques. They also want the President to make public documents that they believe contain exculpatory evidence that has been removed from the FBI's request, which has already been shared with the Gang of Eight, a group of congressional leaders, and the leader of the United States. informed intelligence committees. the most sensitive intelligence.
Finally, conservative Republicans want Trump to downgrade the "302", or official notes, of 12 interviews conducted by the Justice Department Bruce Ohr between the end of 2016 and May 2017 with Christopher Steele, author of a controversial dossier ties to Russia . The conservative Republicans have accused the record of serving as the basis for applying monitoring to the page – a charge contested by federal law enforcement and intelligence officials.
[Trump suggests Bruce Ohr, Justice official linked to Russia dossier, should be fired]
The application of the FBI to the monitoring of Page in question was filed in October 2016, then periodically renewed. Members of the Judiciary Committee and House Oversight Committees interviewed Ohr in camera last month.
Members felt that, once declassified, the combined documents would show that the FBI knew, but did not inform the court, of things on the record that would have undermined the merits of the claim – including that Steele was against the campaign. Trump to be president.
"The powers have been abused, the FISA court has been misled and we have a zero tolerance for all of this," said Zeldin. "The government has the responsibility not only to provide its best evidence in support of its application, but also the best evidence against it. In this case, the DOJ did not do it.
The President has the power to declassify the documents, although these decisions are usually made following a procedure that involves careful scrutiny by other members of the administration, as well as the department concerned. It is not clear that Trump will take into account Republican demand, but representative Mark Meadows (RN.C.), who is close to the president, said he had not seen a major demand, provided that it protects sources and methods of intelligence gathering do not become public.
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