White House sends mixed messages on Russia memo

WASHINGTON—White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday said legal and national security reviews are still underway to determine the fate of a memo regarding the Russia investigation, but it appears the president has already made up his mind. While President Donald Trump exited the House chamber after Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., asked Trump if he would release the memo. Caught on a nearby microphone, the president said, “Don't worry, 100 percent.” In an interview with CNN Wednesday morning, Sanders dismissed the idea that releasing the memo was a done deal and said Trump had not even read the document. “I know he hadn’t as of last night prior to and immediately after the State of the Union,” Sanders said, stressing that White House lawyers are still in the process of reviewing the contents of the document. “That’s the place where we are right now.” The House Intelligence Committee voted Monday night to release the four-page memo compiled by committee chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif. The classified document outlines what Republicans believe are abuses of surveillance by the FBI used during the investigation into Russia interference in the 2016 presidential election. Nunes said the FBI showed bias by relying heavily on a dossier funded in part by Democrats when it launched the investigation. Trump has until the end of the week to release the classified document to the public.