Supporting FBI special counsel Robert Mueller "100 percent," Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., said the investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election is not impacted by the release of the FISA memo, because there are both Russia meddling and FISA abuses as alleged.
"I actually don't think [the memo] has any impact on the Russia probe for this reason . . . there is a Russia investigation without a dossier," Gowdy, a member of the House Intel Committee who was "pretty integrally involved" in drafting the memo, told CBS's "Face the Nation."
"So, to the extent the memo deals with the dossier and the FISA process, the dossier has nothing to do with the meeting at Trump Tower. The dossier has nothing to do with an email sent by Cambridge Analytica. The dossier really has nothing to do with George Papadopoulos' meeting in Great Britain.
"It also doesn't have anything to do with obstruction of justice. So, there's going to be a Russia probe, even without a dossier."
The congressional questioning of the appearance of abuses of FISA warrants by the FBI is not mutually exclusive with the FBI's duly just look into potential collusion with members of the Trump campaign before the 2016 election.
"I am sure the president is frustrated," Gowdy told host Margaret Brennen. "Adam Schiff prejudged this investigation before he interviewed the first witness. . . . We have confidence in Bob Mueller, and we have serious consideration – serious concerns – about this process.
". . . I get that Adam Schiff and others are worried about what's not in my memo. I wish that they were equally concerned about what's not in the FISA application, which is a lot of really important information about the source, and its sub-sources, and the fact that [dossier author Christopher Steele] was hired by the DNC and the Clinton campaign, and the fact that he was biased against President Trump. That is all information that the finder of fact is entitled to."
Gowdy's conclusion to this process is to get all the facts on the table in a nonpartisan way to answer the questions of Russia meddling and answer the abuses of FISA warrants to surveil a U.S. citizen, potentially for political purposes.
"I'm actually in a really small group, I think, of Republicans that think that this FISA process is suspect and wrong and should not have taken place," Gowdy told Brennan. "But you still have a Russia investigation even without it. . . .
"I am on record as saying I support Bob Mueller 100 percent. I think you would have a Russia – look, Russia tried to interfere with our election in 2016 with or without a dossier – so you need an investigation into Russia. You need an investigation into Trump Tower and the Cambridge Analytica email, separate and apart from the dossier. So, those are not connected issues to me. They may be for other Republicans, but they're not for me. I say investigate everything Russia did, but admit that this was a really sloppy process that you engaged in to surveil a U.S. citizen."