Watch: Trey Gowdy Drops a Massive Hint About What's in FBI Abuse Memo
More reluctance has prevented lawmakers in Washington from discussing a classified four-page memo alleging that surveillance abuses ran rampant in the FBI and Justice Department.
The document alleges that both the FBI and DOJ abused the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in order to spy on American citizens — particularly those associated with the Trump campaign.
Rep. Trey Gowdy spoke with Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday” and discussed certain clues that might be found in the controversial document, which may be released as early as this week by the House Intelligence Committee.
“If you think your viewers want to know whether or not the dossier was used in court proceedings … if you are interested in who paid for the dossier, if you are interested in Christopher Steele’s relationship with Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee, then, yes, you will want the memo to come out,” Gowdy told Wallace.
“Do you want to know whether or not the primary course in these court proceedings had a bias against one candidate?” Gowdy asked rhetorically. “Do you want to know whether or not he said he’d do anything to keep that candidate from becoming president?”
The question of the particular source opposed to President Donald Trump may be in reference to former British Christopher Steele who wrote the dossier, suggested The Daily Caller News Foundation.
Speculation arises as to whether or not Steele had been hired by opposition research firm Fusion GPS, who was reportedly paid $1 million by the Clinton campaign and DNC to investigate Trump.
Throughout 2016, Steele met with FBI agents to discuss the investigation, with the DOJ allegedly using Steele’s work in an application for a surveillance warrant against former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
It was also around the same time last June that former FBI Director James Comey stated the dossier was “salacious and unverified.”
Republican lawmakers have raised concern about how heavily both the FBI and DOJ have relied on the dossier for warrants against American citizens, as well as for the investigation into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
The lawmakers are also pressing for information on whether or not the agencies vetted the dossier before using its information in any FISA application.
Though the memo remains classified for now, many Republicans are hoping for the Intelligence Committee to release the document, though it’s bound to meet up with some resistance.
Democratic lawmakers have accused the classified documents as being a set of “talking points” geared towards helping Trump, with DOJ Committee Chairman Devin Nunes claiming its release would be “extremely reckless.”
Yet, back in June, Nunes admitted that his investigators had uncovered evidence that the government was abusing surveillance practices, though it seemed to fall on deaf ears.
Gowdy insisted to Wallace that the information contained in the document is based on information already provided by those agencies, and has suggested that Nunes allow the DOJ and FBI to view the memo prior to its release.
“There’s nothing in this memo the Department is not already aware of.”
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