BFF-07 Trump blocks release of Democratic memo on Russia probe

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Trump blocks release of Democratic memo on Russia probe

WASHINGTON, Feb 10, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – President Donald Trump is refusing
to declassify a high-profile memo written by Democratic lawmakers about the
Russia probe.

In a letter to the chair of the House Intelligence Committee Friday, White
House counsel Don McGahn says the memo “contains numerous properly classified
and especially sensitive passages.”

The Democrats’ memo aimed to counter a Republican-drafted one that the
president declassified and released.

However, portions of the memo “would create especially significant
concerns for the national security and law enforcement interests,” McGahn
wrote.

FBI chief Christopher Wray and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in a
separate letter indicated that releasing this material would present concerns
for the “protection of intelligence sources and methods, ongoing
investigations and other similarly sensitive information.”

The previously released Republican text alleges anti-Trump bias in the
investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election that brought Trump
to power.

The Justice Department and the FBI had also warned against releasing the
Republican memo, saying it could jeopardize US intelligence collection
methods. Trump authorized its release anyway.

Democrats on the intelligence committee complained that the Republicans’
four-page memo cherry-picked facts and explained events out of context and
was thus not accurate.

They joined other Trump administration critics in calling the release of
the Republican document an effort to undermine the investigation led by
Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

In his letter, McGahn said Trump has instructed Justice Department
officials to be available to help the intelligence committee revise the
Democratic memo, if it so wishes, so as to “mitigate the risks.”

“The executive branch stands ready to review any subsequent draft of the
February 5th memorandum for declassification at the earliest opportunity.”

BSS/AFP/MRI/ 0830 hrs