FBI/GOP/INTELLIGENCE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump accused senior officials and investigators at the Federal Bureau of Investigation of being biased against Republicans and favoring Democrats, as the White House is expected approve the release of a classified memo that Republicans allege shows improper surveillance of one of the president’s former campaign aides…
A White House official said Thursday [2-1-18] that the president is expected to tell lawmakers as soon as Friday to release the Republican Congressional memo, which contains classified information. The official said Mr. Trump made his decision after reviewing the memo and ensuring ‘it doesn’t give away too much in terms of classification.’ The FBI has publicly opposed the memo’s release.
The official said the White House doesn’t expect the memo to include any redactions recommended by intelligence officials, but one person close to the president signaled there could ultimately be some redactions…
The memo has ignited a fierce debate in Washington, with many Republicans saying the document shows civil-liberties abuses by federal investigators. Members of both parties have raised concerns, with some saying it is misleading and its planned release represents an effort to discredit the probe into whether associates of Mr. Trump colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. The FBI has questioned the memo’s accuracy and opposed its release…
A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment.”
-Rebecca Ballhaus, Siobhan Hughes, and Peter Nicholas, “Trump Accuses FBI Officials of Bias Against Republicans,” The Wall Street Journal online, Feb. 2, 2018 08:02am