Democrats push to make their own FBI memo public

WASHINGTON—Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee are pushing to release their own memo countering the Republican document published Friday that suggests anti-Trump bias at the FBI. Members of the Intelligence Committee have a closed-door meeting scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday, during which Democrats plan to introduce a motion to trigger a vote on the release of their classified document. They claim the 10-page memo gives a fuller picture of the Justice Department’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible connections to the Trump campaign. President Donald Trump approved the release of the four-page GOP memo that claims the FBI wrongly authorized surveillance on a Trump campaign adviser in 2016 based on information from a dossier funded by Democrats. Trump said Saturday the memo “totally vindicates” him and his campaign of any wrongdoing. Democrats contend the Republican memo leaves out pertinent information in an attempt to discredit special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the panel, led the attack on the GOP memo, crafted by committee chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif. In a string of tweets Monday morning, Trump accused Schiff of leaking confidential information and praised Nunes for having the courage to reveal the Republican memo to the public. If the committee agrees to release the Democrats’ memo, Trump would have five days to review the document and declassify it for public consumption.