HOUSE OF REPS/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump said on Saturday [2-3-18] that a partisan memo released by House Republicans ‘totally vindicates’ him in the investigation into Russian election interference, complaining that the ‘witch hunt’ would go ‘on and on’ even though there had been no collusion or obstruction of justice.
Mr. Trump, who is in Florida for the weekend, took to Twitter to proclaim his innocence and denounce the investigation a day after the release of the highly contentious classified memo, which he had authorized to be made public. The document claimed that top law enforcement officials had abused their powers to spy on a Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page, who was suspected of being an agent of Russia.
The memo, while trying to paint the origins of the Russia investigation as tainted, did nothing to clear Mr. Trump of either collusion or obstruction — the lines of inquiry being pursued by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III.
The memo in fact undermined Republicans’ efforts to cast doubt on the roots of the investigation by confirming that the inquiry was already underway when law enforcement officials obtained a warrant from a secret intelligence court to conduct surveillance on Mr. Page.”
-Emily Cochrane, “Trump Says Republican Memo ‘Totally Vindicates’ Him,” The New York Times online, Feb. 3, 2018