Despite objections from the Justice Department, Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee have voted to release the so-called “Nunes memo”, which alleges misconduct by FBI officials investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia.
President Donald Trump, who has insisted there was no collusion, now has five days to accept or object to the committee's request.
What is the Nunes memo?
The memo reportedly alleges that senior FBI and Justice Department officials relied on questionable and politically motivated sources to justify surveillance of President Trump’s campaign.
The Daily Beast reported that Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House Select Intelligence Committee, and his committee staff spent months compiling the memo, which relies upon classified information.
What “incriminating” information does the memo contain?
The four-page document is said to allege that FBI and Justice Department officials abused their power under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
According to multiple news accounts, it alleges that the FBI's 2016 application for a warrant to wiretap Carter Page, a former Trump campaign adviser, was based on information in the infamous Trump dossier detailing Mr Trump’s alleged connections to Russia.
According to the Washington Post, some funding for the dossier came from Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee.
To obtain a surveillance warrant for a US citizen like Page, the government would have needed to show probable cause that Mr Page, a former Moscow-based investment banker, was an agent of the Russian government.
Why is there controversy over releasing it?
The memo has spurred further partisan discord among members of Congress, even though the Russia investigation is supposed to be nonpartisan.
While Republicans argue that the memo shows wrongdoing by FBI officials, Democrats say the document mischaracterizes intelligence and attempts to create a narrative to show the FBI’s Russia investigation has been biased from the beginning.
Democrats also assert that it is an attempt to divert attention away from special counsel Robert Mueller's own probe into Russia's interference in the 2016 election.
The ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, Representative Adam Schiff, said last week that Democrats would push to release their own memo if the committee releases the Nunes memo.
Why is the President at odds with his own Justice Department about releasing it?
Mr Trump has made it clear he has never been a fan of the Russia investigations, repeatedly referring to them as a “witch hunt”.
The Washington Post has reported that the President wants the memo to be released, even though his own Justice Department has said doing so would be “extraordinarily reckless”.
