“No evidence of illegal, unethical, or unprofessional behavior by law enforcement”
Developments on Day 402 of the Trump Administration:
Memo Defends FBI and Justice Department v. White House
The House Intelligence Committee finally releases a Democratic memorandum countering an effort by Donald Trump’s allies to undermine the FBI and the Trump-Russia investigation.
The 10-page Democratic document sets out a point-by-point refutation of a memo written by staff of Devin Nunes, the committee chair who was supposed to recuse himself after revelation last March of his co-ordination with the White House. The memo, released on February 2, accuses the FBI of inappropriate activity in obtaining a warrant, from a top-secret Government court in October 2016, for the surveillance of Trump foreign policy advisor Carter Page.
Analysts as well as Democrats immediately took apart the claims of the memo, pointing out that Page had been suspected of recruitment as a Russian agent since 2013 and that the FBI had multiple sources of intelligence for its approach to the court.
See An 8-Point Guide to Nunes Memo, Trump v. FBI, & Attempt to End Russia Inquiry
While subjected to extensive redactions, the Democratic document bolsters that line of argument with details of the investigations and of Page’s activities. It notes that the initial October 2016 warrant was renewed three times, including by current Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, summarized:
Our extensive review of the initial FISA [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] application and three subsequent renewals failed to uncover any evidence of illegal, unethical or unprofessional behavior by law enforcement and instead revealed that both the F.B.I. and D.O.J. made extensive showings to justify all four requests.
Donald Trump, without any indication that he read the Democratic document, hit back in a series of tweets and retweets of Fox News assertions:
The Democrat memo response on government surveillance abuses is a total political and legal BUST. Just
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 24, 2018
He told Fox’s Jeanine Pirro in a phone interview, “That was nothing but a confirmation, and a lot of bad things happened on the other side — not on this side, but on the other side — and somebody should look at it, because what they did was really fraudulent.”
Trump then appeared to press Attorney General Jeff Sessions, despite his recusal from the Trump-Russia investigation because of his meetings in 2016 with the Russian Ambassador, to intervene: “By somebody, I mean you-know-who.”
Nunes, a member of the Trump transition team, continued his campaign on behalf of the White House. He insisted that the Democratic document showed that they are engaged in a cover-up and “colluding with parts of the government” — presumably the FBI and Justice Department — in the effort.
State Department Ordered To Strip Language on Family Planning and Discrimination From Human Rights Report
State Department officials have been ordered to trim passages, including on women’s reproductive rights and discrimination, in a soon-to-be-released annual report on global human rights.
The directive, from a top aide to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, orders the removal of references to women’s access to contraceptives and abortion. A section on racial, ethnic, and sexual discrimination is to be reduced.
A “serving State Department official” said, “This sends a clear signal that women’s reproductive rights are not a priority for this administration, and that it’s not even a rights violation we must or should report on.”
A State Department spokesperson defended the changes, saying they are being made for focus and “clarity”.