Ryan: It’s ‘Critical’ To Focus On Fixing FISA, Not Impugning ‘Integrity’ Of FBI

on January 30, 2018 in Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 30: House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), speaks to the media after attending a meeting with House GOP members, on Capitol Hill January 30, 2018 in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump is set t... WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 30: House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), speaks to the media after attending a meeting with House GOP members, on Capitol Hill January 30, 2018 in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump is set to deliver his first State of the Union address this evening. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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Just after House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes’ (R-CA) anti-FBI memo was released Friday, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) said it was “critical” that the focus of the memo’s release remains on “specific actions and specific actors” and not on impugning the “integrity” of the FBI and the Justice Department as a whole.

Ryan said the concerns outlined in the memo, which purports to reveal that FBI officials abused the FISA process when seeking a warrant to surveil Trump campaign aide Carter Page, were “legitimate.”

Unlike most judicial proceedings, the FISA system depends not on an adversarial process, but instead on the government providing a complete presentation of the facts and circumstances underlying its warrant applications,” he said in a statement. “It is clear from this memo that didn’t happen in this case, and as a consequence an American’s civil liberties may have been violated.”

He called on Democrats to work with Republicans to “ensure the FISA system works as intended” and reiterated his commitment to making sure the Democrats’ counter-memo was released once it “is properly scrubbed of all intelligence sources and methods.”

Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee voted Monday to release the memo, passing the buck to the President to determine whether it should be made public. President Donald Trump declassified the memo Friday afternoon and the memo was released shortly thereafter.

Democrats claim to have a counter-memo that has still not been approved for release.

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  1. Avatar for mcbain mcbain says:

    What a lying weasel. He knows damn well what the purpose of this memo is - to cast doubt on the integrity and independence of the FBI.

  2. No Secret left unexposed to our enemies, correct Mr. Speaker?

  3. Avatar for erik_t erik_t says:

    Devin, how do you like out on that plank? Still feeling good about all your life decisions, who you trusted, who you backed, whose shackles you fastened to your ankle?

  4. Ryan states: “It is clear from this memo that didn’t happen in this case, and as a consequence an American’s civil liberties may have been violated.”

    What is his legal proof other than his opinion based on the limited information released?

  5. Sorry Ryan, you let the cat out of the bag now it is your cat.

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