Trump Overheard Saying He'll 100 Percent Release the Nunes Memo

Source: New York Magazine

Following a weeks-long effort to whip Republicans into a frenzy over a classified four-page memo penned by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, on Monday the Republicans on that committee voted to make the document public. That gave the White House five days to consider arguments from Democrats and Justice Department officials, who say the memo is misleading and could jeopardize intelligence sources.

It always seemed highly unlikely that that President Trump would opt to keep the memo classified, as it seems designed to undermine Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of his campaign’s Russia ties, and possibly provide the justification for the firing of the man overseeing that probe, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. The memo seemed so aligned with Trump’s efforts that during Monday’s closed-door committee meeting, a Democrat asked Nunes if he was coordinating with the White House, according to the Daily Beast. (Nunes refused to answer the question.)

Yet, on Tuesday afternoon, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders claimed Trump “has not seen or been briefed on the memo or reviewed its contents,” and there are “no current plans” to release it.

Hours later, cameras caught Trump contradicting her while schmoozing his way off the House floor after delivering his State of the Union address. “Let’s release the memo,” South Carolina Representative Jeff Duncan said as he shook the president’s hand. “Oh, don’t worry, 100 percent,” Trump said, adding, “Can you imagine that?”

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