WASHINGTON _ On Tuesday afternoon, the White House said no decision had been made about releasing a controversial Republican memo on secret surveillance, and that President Donald Trump hadn't even read the document.
But at the end of his State of the Union address the president suggested he's already made up his mind, once again undercutting his own administration's talking points.
While exiting the House chamber Tuesday night, Trump was approached by Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., who urged him to "release the memo." A C-Span camera captured the moment.
"Don't worry," Trump said with a wave of his hand. "100 percent."
The House Intelligence Committee voted Monday to make the memo public, giving Trump five days to object if he chose. He's already signaled his interest in releasing it, an indication that he believes it will provide him political or legal leverage when dealing with the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign. Republicans believe the memo reveals abuse by law enforcement officials, while Democrats say it skews the facts.
Trump's comments about the memo echoed how he handled the firing of FBI Director James B. Comey.
His administration originally said Trump acted on the recommendation of top Justice Department officials who were concerned about how Comey ran the investigation of Hillary Clinton's private email server. But the president later said he had already decided to fire Comey, and acknowledged "this Russia thing" was on his mind.
