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Monday 26 February 2018

Dems release Russia probe

memo defending FBI surveillance

By MARY CLARE JALONICK tive that the FBI and Jus- ning: “Dem Memo: FBI did
and CHAD DAY tice Department conspired not disclose who the clients
Associated Press against Trump as they in- were - the Clinton Cam-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two vestigated his ties to Russia. paign and the DNC. Wow!”
weeks after President Don- The document’s release The White House on Feb.
ald Trump blocked its full Saturday was the latest 9 had objected to the
release, the House Intel- development in an ex- Democratic memo’s re-
In this Friday, Feb. 2, 2018 file photo, President Donald Trump ligence Committee pub- traordinary back and forth lease, citing national secu-
listens during a meeting with North Korean defectors where lished a partially blacked- between Republicans rity concerns. That sent the
he talked with reporters about allowing the release of a secret
memo on the FBI’s role in the Russia inquiry, in the Oval Office of out version of a classified and Democrats about the Democrats back to nego-
the White House in Washington. Democratic memo aiming credibility of multiple in- tiations with the FBI, which
Associated Press to counter a GOP narra- quiries into links between approved a version with
the Trump campaign and parts of it blacked out. It
Russia, and the integrity of was then declassified and
the top U.S. law enforce- released. Trump had no
ment agencies. The docu- such concerns about the
ment attempts to undercut GOP memo, which he de-
and add context to some classified in full on Feb. 2
of the main points from a over strong objections from
declassified Republican the FBI about the memo’s
memo made public earlier accuracy. The Democratic
this month. In that memo, memo asserts that the FBI’s
Republicans went after concerns about Page long
the FBI and the Justice De- predate the compilation of
partment over the use of memos drafted by Steele,
information compiled by now known as the Trump-
former British spy Christo- Russia “dossier,” and that
pher Steele in obtaining the government’s appli-
a secret warrant to moni- cation to monitor Page’s
tor the communications of communications details
onetime Trump campaign suspicious activities he un-
foreign policy adviser Cart- dertook during the 2016
er Page. The GOP memo presidential campaign.
included the assertion that That includes a July 2016
the FBI obtained a surveil- trip to Moscow in which
lance warrant without dis- he gave a university com-
closing that Steele’s anti- mencement address. The
Trump research was paid memo contends that the
for by Democrat Hillary Justice Department provid-
Clinton’s campaign and ed “additional information
the Democratic National from multiple independent
Committee. The Demo- sources that corroborated
cratic memo says the Jus- Steele’s reporting” in the
tice Department disclosed dossier. Most of the de-
“the assessed political tails of the corroborated
motivation of those who information are blacked
hired him” and that Steele out, but they do appear
was likely hired by some- to reference Page’s meet-
one “looking for informa- ing with Russian officials.
tion that could be used to The memo says the Justice
discredit” then-candidate Department didn’t include
Trump’s campaign. any “salacious allegations”
Republicans say that is not about Trump contained
enough because the Clin- in the Steele dossier in the
ton campaign and the government’s application
DNC were not named. to seek a warrant under the
Trump seized on this point Foreign Intelligence Surveil-
in a tweet Saturday eve- lance Act, or FISA.q