President Donald Trump on Saturday night alleged that the Democratic response to the so-called “Nunes memo” showed that “a lot of bad things happened on the other side.”
“Not on this side, but on the other side,” he continued in a phone interview with Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro. “And somebody should look into it. And what they did is really fraudulent and somebody should be looking into that. And by somebody, I’m talking about you know who.”
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA) claimed in his initial memo, a document based on classified surveillance warrant applications, that the FBI improperly applied for and was granted a warrant to surveil then-former Trump foreign policy adviser Carter Page based on politicized information. From the beginning, the claims weren’t very credible.
Nunes claimed that the FBI did not disclose that the so-called Steele dossier, on which the warrant application was partially based, had originated in a firm hired by Democrats to research Trump.
That turned out to be a misleading claim, and the Democratic memo released Saturday detailed how the FBI made the memo’s political origins clear to the surveillance court, among other points.
Still, Trump claimed to Pirro, without further explanation, that the Democratic memo was “nothing but a confirmation” of Nunes’ claims and that “that document really verifies the Nunes memo.”
“And that’s why they didn’t push hard to have it– If you notice, they did not push it hard because they understood this was going to happen,” he added, spinning his own administration’s initial refusal to approve the Democratic memo’s release more than two weeks ago.
Trump also noted, referring to Nunes, that “if this continues to go forward, I really think someday he’s going to be greatly honored for his service and for what’s he’s done. He’s been very, very brave in the face of a lot of obstacles.”
The President kept arguing the case on Twitter, without citing specific information in either memo
The Democrat memo response on government surveillance abuses is a total political and legal BUST. Just confirms all of the terrible things that were done. SO ILLEGAL!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 24, 2018
Dem Memo: FBI did not disclose who the clients were – the Clinton Campaign and the DNC. Wow!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 24, 2018
“Russians had no compromising information on Donald Trump” @FoxNews Of course not, because there is none, and never was. This whole Witch Hunt is an illegal disgrace…and Obama did nothing about Russia!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 24, 2018
“Congressman Schiff omitted and distorted key facts” @FoxNews So, what else is new. He is a total phony!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2018
Dump is an annoying little dog…YAP, YAP YAP
Like, was anyone in the world, anyone anywhere, really, anyone at all, surprised by this spin?
Thought not.
"Really Fraudulent"Behavior is elaborating to his base.
Any more words then that will go beyond their understanding.
Be understanding to Trump, folks. Of course he keeps saying stuff rebutted by the facts in the Democratic memo. He doesn’t read.
I would’ve have liked to be in the room when Ivanka explained North Korean sanctions to the South Korean president. Incredible, amazing, wonderful were no doubt in the mix.