Intelligence Committee Democrats Vote Against Transparency for Fusion GPS Documents
Members of the House Intelligence Committee voted Thursday to make available the reports of documented abuse of the FISA program, but not all seemed to be on board with the move.
The four-page memo revealed the alleged surveillance abuses by the U.S. government, yet many Democrats voted against making it available for everyone to see, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The Journal highlights that left-leaning officials voted to release Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes’ interview with Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson on behalf of transparency, but were silent when it came to the transparency of a memo that would list abuses regarding the FBI.
“Every Democrat voted against letting the rest of the House see a memo that will list the facts about the FBI’s use of FISA warrants to surveil members of the Trump campaign in 2016,” the article states. “Strange. What are Democrats afraid of?”
Democrat Adam Schiff has even been a vocal force in demanding accountability regarding the Trump-Russia probe, but his “outrage evaporates” when confronted with the role “Fusion GPS and its Democratic financiers” may have played in the abuse of warrants that would allow eavesdropping on American civilians.
And that information, many sources say, needs to be made public.
According to Fox News, the process for releasing such information to the public involves a vote from the committee and, upon approval, can be released so long as no objections arise from the White House within five days.
Yet, even with the recent vote approving the transparency of the documents, questions have been raised as to the alleged abuses that lie therein — and it seems those concerns have been going on for quite some time.
Back in December, Nunes admitted that his investigators had uncovered evidence that the government was abusing surveillance practices, though it seemed to fall on deaf ears.
“I believe there’s evidence that abuses have occurred,” Nunes had said, with many now sharing that same sentiment.
Many Republican officials called the evidence “shocking,” “alarming,” and one congressman even likened the information to the Russian KGB.
Though lawmakers couldn’t yet give the details of what the memo contained, they stressed that it should be made public as soon as possible.
“It is so alarming the American people have to see this,” said Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan.
“You think about, ‘is this happening in America or is this the KGB?’ That’s how alarming it is,” added Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry, with others such as Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz admitting that some could possibly lose their jobs once the information is released.
“It’s troubling. It is shocking,” admitted North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows.
“Part of me wishes that I didn’t read it because I don’t want to believe that those kinds of things could be happening in this country that I call home and love so much.”
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