WASHINGTON: A classified memo written by congressional Democrats to rebut a Republican document made public last week is “very political and long” and would have to be “heavily redacted” before it could be released, President Donald Trump said on Twitter on Saturday.
Trump on Friday blocked the release of the memo, which seeks to respond to a Republican memo that Trump allowed to be released. The Republican memo claimed FBI and Justice Department bias against Trump in the federal investigating of Russia and the 2016 US election.
“The Democrats sent a very political and long response memo which they knew, because of sources and methods (and more), would have to be heavily redacted, whereupon they would blame the White House for lack of transparency,” Trump tweeted. “Told them to re-do and send back in proper form!” Trump’s decision to block the release of the memo infuriated Democrats, who said it showed a double standard on transparency on the part of the Republican president.
Trump on February 2 allowed the release of the memo written by Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee with no redactions. Democrats said the Republican memo mischaracterised highly sensitive classified information and was intended to discredit special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of potential collusion between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia.
