Upon Memo’s Release, Nunes Claims GOPers ‘Discovered Serious Violations’

on November 9, 2017 in Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 09: Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) attends a House Ways and Means Committee markup of the Republicans tax reform plan titled the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act., on Capitol Hill November 9, 2017 in Washin... WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 09: Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) attends a House Ways and Means Committee markup of the Republicans tax reform plan titled the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act., on Capitol Hill November 9, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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In a statement published as the House Intelligence Committee’s controversial memo was made public Friday afternoon, Chair Devin Nunes (R-CA), who orchestrated the memo’s creation and publication, claimed that the committee found “serious violations” and suggested that officials at the FBI and Justice Department “exploited” their positions to target President Donald Trump’s campaign.

“The Committee has discovered serious violations of the public trust, and the American people have a right to know when officials in crucial institutions are abusing their authority for political purposes,” Nunes said in a statement. “Our intelligence and law enforcement agencies exist to defend the American people, not to be exploited to target one group on behalf of another. It is my hope that the Committee’s actions will shine a light on this alarming series of events so we can make reforms that allow the American people to have full faith and confidence in their governing institutions.”

President Donald Trump late Friday morning approved the declassification of the memo, sending it back to the House Intelligence Committee for public release. The memo, published early Friday afternoon, alleges that there was a “breakdown” in the Justice Department’s process for obtaining a surveillance warrant for Trump campaign aide Carter Page, but the memo reveals little about its sourcing.

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