Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer told President Trump on Sunday to support the release of a Democratic memo that serves as a rebuttal to the House GOP memo that alleges the FBI used biased information to begin snooping on a former Trump campaign aide in late 2016.
Mr. Schumer said if Mr. Trump truly cares about transparency, he’ll let the American people vet both the GOP memo by Rep. Devin Nunes, released Friday with White House approval, and the Democratic memo by Rep. Adam Schiff of California, which was voted down by the Republican-led House Intelligence Committee.
“I believe it is a matter of fundamental fairness that the American people be allowed to see both sides of the argument and make their own judgements,” Mr. Schumer, New York Democrat, said.
The GOP memo details the FBI’s decision to rely in part on material compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele — an investigator paid by Democrats and the Hillary Clinton campaign — to apply in October 2016 for a secret surveillance warrant against Carter Page, a former adviser to the Trump campaign.
It also explores the role of top Justice Department officials in renewing those snooping powers.
Republicans say the Clinton connection shows extreme bias and was concealed from the court.
SEE ALSO: Trey Gowdy says FBI concealed Clinton role in Steele dossier
Top Republicans say the memo shouldn’t be used to undermine special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian actors in 2016, though Democrats worry Mr. Trump sees it as a convenient tool to do just that.
Mr. Schumer says the Schiff memo sheds new light on why the FBI felt strongly about looking into Mr. Page and his interactions with Russian actors.
“A refusal to release the Schiff memo in light of the fact that Chairman Devin Nunes’ memo was released and is based on the same underlying documents will confirm the American people’s worst fears that the release of Chairman Nunes’ memo was only intended to undermine special counsel Bob Mueller’s investigation,” Mr. Schumer said.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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