GOP votes to release classified memo on Russia probe

WASHINGTON—The House Intelligence Committee voted along party lines Monday night to release a classified Republican memo that outlines possible abuses during the early stages of the Russia investigation. The four-page document compiled by committee chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., reportedly provides details as to how Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein approved extended surveillance of Carter Page, a Donald Trump campaign foreign policy adviser in 2016. According to The New York Times, the GOP memo also shows how much the Justice Department relied on the Steele dossier—opposition research on Trump compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele that was funded in part by the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign. The Justice Department warned against making the classified document public, but the Intelligence Committee invoked a rule that enables the president to decide whether to release it, overruling the Justice Department. President Trump has five days to make a decision on the matter. White House lawyers began reviewing the document Monday evening, the Times reported. Democrats told reporters after the vote that the memo is misleading. “We have crossed a deeply regrettable line in this committee,” said Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee.