President Donald Trump lashed out at the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee today, a day after Democrats and Republicans said Trump was wrong to assert that a GOP-produced classified memo on FBI surveillance powers cleared him in the Russia investigation.
The House intelligence panel plans to meet today and is expected to consider whether to release a Democratic rebuttal memo.
The committee rejected that move last week, with one Republican member saying revisions were needed so the memo would not endanger national security.
Trump would decide whether to release the memo if it contains classified information.
A White House official said today that the administration would consider releasing the Democratic memo, subjecting it to a similar review process as the Republican memo.
The official was not authorised to speak publicly and sought anonymity to discuss internal thinking.
The Senate's Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, has urged Trump to back the public release and said that refusing to do so would show the president's intent to undermine the Russia investigation.
Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating possible collusion between the Trump 2016 presidential campaign and Russia as well as whether there have been efforts to obstruct the investigation.
House Speaker Paul Ryan has said he supports the release of the Democrats' memo, if sensitive intelligence information is removed.
Trump strode into the debate Monday on Twitter, saying: " Little Adam Schiff, who is desperate to run for higher office, is one of the biggest liars and leakers in Washington, right up there with Comey, Warner, Brennan and Clapper! Adam leaves closed committee hearings to illegally leak confidential information. Must be stopped!"
Schiff has branded the GOP memo "a political hit job" and has questioned whether the chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes, R- Calif., had coordinated with the White House in drafting the document seized on by the president to vent his grievances against the nation's premier law enforcement agencies.
"The goal here is to undermine the FBI, discredit the FBI, discredit the Mueller investigation, do the president's bidding," Schiff said. "I think it's very possible his staff worked with the White House."
Nunes was asked during a January 29 committee meeting whether he had coordinated the memo with the White House.
"As far as I know, no," he responded, then refused to answer when asked whether his staff members had communicated with the White House.
He had previously apologised for sharing with the White House secret intelligence intercepts related to an investigation of Russian election interference before talking to committee members.
Trump's Saturday tweet that the memo "totally vindicates 'Trump' in probe" even as "the Russian Witch Hunt goes on and on" found no echo from four committee Republicans who appeared on the Sunday talk shows.
Rep Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, said, "I think this is a separate issue." Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, said, "No, it doesn't end that." Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, said, "I don't," when asked whether he agreed with Trump. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R- S.C., asked whether the memo affected the investigation, said, "No, not to me, it doesn't, and I was pretty integrally involved in the drafting of it."
The Democratic response was more expected: "Of course, not at all," said Schiff. Added Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.: "No, of course it does not."
Lawmakers also said the memo should not impede Mueller. "I think it would be a mistake for anyone to suggest that the special counsel shouldn't complete his work. I support his work. I want him to finish it. I hope he finishes it as quickly as possible," Stewart said.
The memo released Friday alleges misconduct on the part of the FBI and the Justice Department in obtaining a warrant under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to monitor former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page and his ties to Russia.
Specifically, it takes aim at the FBI's use of information from former British spy Christopher Steele, who compiled a dossier containing allegations of ties between Trump, his associates and Russia.
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