Trump wants classified Russia memo released despite Justice Department objections.
President Trump is making clear that he wants a controversial memo to be released that Republicans say will at least partly discredit the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the election. Trump’s desire put him at odds with the Justice Department, which had said it would be “extraordinarily reckless” to release of the memo without an official review. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly went as far as to tell Attorney General Jeff Sessions about the president’s view on the memo, even though Congress is the one that has to approve the release of the document, reports the Washington Post.
White House legislative affairs director Marc Short acknowledged on Sunday that Trump wants the memo to be released. “We don’t know what’s in the memo. But I think the president generally sides on the side of transparency,” Short said in an interview on Fox News Sunday.
“I’m sure he’s very concerned about some of the appearances of conflict of interest at the top of the agency.”
Although the warning from the Justice Department that releasing the memo could reveal classified information involves “rational concerns,” Short added that for now, “I think the president is more inclined for transparency in this investigation. To the extent that the House is advocated that its public release, I think the president is receptive to that.”
The memo, which was written by Republican staffers in the House Intelligence Committee, claims that FBI agents underplayed the role of politically motivated and questionable sources to justify a surveillance warrant. Democrats have said the memo is misleading and Republicans want to declassify documents for partisan gain.
AdvertisementThe way in which Kelly reportedly reached out to Sessions on the issue is yet another example of how the president is angry that he can’t have more influence on the ongoing Russia investigation. The Post explains:
Advertisement Advertisement AdvertisementTrump, appearing frustrated and at times angry, has complained to confidants and aides in recent weeks that he does not understand why he cannot simply give orders to “my guys” at what he sometimes calls the “Trump Justice Department,” two people familiar with the president’s comments said.
Such complaints, and Trump’s repeated attempts to pressure senior law enforcement officials through firings or other means, have now become one of the main focuses of the investigation — including Trump’s order last summer to fire special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, which prompted White House counsel Donald McGahn to threaten to quit before Trump backed down.
The Post also confirms that, as CNN first reported, Trump has even raised the possibility of firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is charged with supervising Robert Mueller’s investigation. And he has also expressed optimism that he’ll be able to make changes at the Justice Department thanks to all the questions that are swirling around about the probe.
Tweet Share Share Comment(责任编辑:资讯)
- Washington Mystics vs. Chicago Sky 2024 livestream: Watch live WNBA
- 'Pokémon Go' players have walked around the earth more than 200,000 times
- Cosplayers pull a 'Nightmare Before Christmas' prank on mall Santa
- Apple drops iOS 11.3 update with new battery health feature
- Abrar Ahmed returns as Pakistan names squad for second Test against Bangladesh
- Campbell highlights Washington Declaration amid security concerns over Putin
- 交警严查车辆乱停行为
- Subway station staff busted for filming women’s toilet
- Son keen to avoid guide duty in South Korea
- Essential Apps to Install on your Windows PC or Mac
- Deleting Facebook won't solve all our privacy problems
- 石棉 建立企业联席会制度
- Let's start calling the Russian 'troll' attack what it really is
-
Families of S. Korean detainees in NK appeal to embassies for support
Lee Shin-wha, former ambassador for international cooperation on North Korean human rights (center), ...[详细] -
LONDON:John Isner set a new record for the number of career aces in his third-round match at Wimbled ...[详细]
-
雅安日报讯 28日开始,市公安局交警支队直属一大队针对市区内车辆乱停乱放行为开展了集中整治,交警部门将以“清洁化、秩序化、优美化、制度化”为目标,依法对机动车乱停乱放行为进行纠正和处罚,进一步改善市 ...[详细]
-
在房地产行业中,刚性需求一词是指对住房有着实际需求的人群购房而出现的一种市场供需关系。不过,就在人们广泛认同这一新兴词汇时,今年9月,在成都“中国地产金融年会2009区域巡回峰会”上,某房产专家“剖 ...[详细]
-
With more ballot initiatives ready to go before voters, supporters of reproductive rights are hoping ...[详细]
-
Venus gets winning return with Murray
LONDON:Venus Williams made a winning return to Wimbledon on Friday when the 42-year-old American tea ...[详细] -
Twitter is experimenting with breaking news alerts
Twitter has been quietly testing a feature that could push it further into the news business.The soc ...[详细] -
The cryptocurrency market keeps sliding, but a recovery could be coming
It's been a bad month in crypto-city. Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market cap, is trading ...[详细] -
Sports minister says audits into football, badminton federations set to conclude in Sept.
Yu In-chon (right), minister of culture, sports and tourism, speaks during a plenary session for the ...[详细] -
White House says AI could cost U.S. millions of jobs if social services not improved
Artificial intelligence will be essential to the future economic growth of the United States, but if ...[详细]
- Military prosecutors indict intel official over leaking 'black agent' info
- North Korea seeks international help for virus testing, newspaper says
- Twitter is experimenting with breaking news alerts
- 太阳“出马” 气温陡升5.9℃
- I used the Pixel 9 Pro XL in the shower — does the screen work when wet as claimed?
- Origi joins Milan after Liverpool exit
- A dog accidentally shot his owner with a gun