Memo alleging FBI abuse released on Trump's okay

Yahoo – AFP, February 2, 2018

US President Donald Trump authorizes the release of a Republican memo alleging
 bias in an FBI probe of Russian election meddling (AFP Photo/ANDREW
CABALLERO-REYNOLDS)

Washington (AFP) - The US Congress released a Republican memo Friday alleging bias in FBI investigations into his presidential campaign moments after US President Donald Trump authorized the explosive move.

"What's happening in our country is a disgrace," Trump said, announcing that he had declassified the memo drafted by Republican Congressman and former Trump transition team official Devin Nunes.

"A lot of people should be ashamed," Trump added.

White House sources said that despite a warning from Trump-appointed FBI Director Christopher Wray, whose future is now uncertain, Trump authorized the memo's release "in full" with no redactions.

Trump's decision rocked Washington, intensifying a fight that has raised questions about the political independence of federal prosecutors and whether the president is trying to obstruct justice.

Trump's critics allege the memo is designed to undercut special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of his campaign's ties with Russia, which US intelligence agencies unanimously agree tried to tilt the election in his favor.

The memo is believed to allege that an investigation into Trump campaign officials started with allegations from a Democrat-funded research.

Those allegations will heap pressure on the upper echelons of the FBI and Justice Department, who Trump has frequently attacked, including deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees Mueller's probe.