President Donald Trump on Friday returned to the House Intelligence Committee the Democratic response to the Republican memo alleging surveillance abuses by the FBI and Justice Department for revisions — citing concerns about classified information contained in the 10-page document.
White House counsel Don McGahn outlined the president's concerns in a letter sent along with the memo to the panel's chairman, Republican Rep. Devin Nunes of California.
The Democratic response was overseen by ranking member Rep. Adam Schiff, also of California.
"Although the president is inclined to declassify the Feb. 5 memo, because the memorandum contains numerous properly classified and especially sensitive passages, he is unable to do so at this time," McGahn said in the letter.
"However, given the public interest and transparency in these unprecedented circumstances, the president has directed that Justice Department personnel be available to give technical assistance to the committee."
Justice staffers would be available "should the committee wish to revise the Feb. 5 memorandum to mitigate risks identified," McGahn said. "The president urges the committee to undertake these efforts."
McGahn's letter included a document from Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, raising concerns about passages in the Democratic response that involved "longstanding principles regarding the protection of intelligence sources and methods, ongoing investigations and other similarly sensitive information."
Intelligence committee members voted Monday to release their response to the GOP document made public last week after President Trump's approval.
The vote sent the response to President Trump for review, giving him five days to make a decision.
The four-page Nunes memo alleged the warrant obtained by the FBI from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court to monitor former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page was based on an unsubstantiated dossier of negative information on the Republican presidential candidate.
The dossier was prepared by former British agent Christopher Steele and was paid, in part, by the campaign of Democrat Hillary Clinton.
The Clinton data were never disclosed in the application for the FISA warrant, according to the GOP memo.
Trump had tweeted the Nunes document "totally vindicates" him in the Moscow probe — and told reporters earlier Friday the White House would soon provide a letter regarding the Democratic response but was not specific.
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