Trump says memo clears him in probe

Experts worry row may cause further damage, harm security

PALM BEACH, Florida - President Donald Trump said on Saturday that a controversial memo attacking federal law enforcement written by congressional Republicans vindicates him in the investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election.

Trump's embrace of the memo raised again the prospect that he could use it as justification to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, who is conducting the investigation, or Deputy Attorney Rod Rosenstein, who oversees Mueller.

Tweeting from his resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said the memo "totally vindicates" him but added "the Russian Witch Hunt goes on and on. Their (sic) was no Collusion and there was no Obstruction." He called the investigation "an American disgrace".

The White House has said there will be no changes at the Justice Department as a result of the memo's conclusions.

The memo, written by Republicans on the US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee chaired by Devin Nunes, argues that the federal investigation of potential collusion between Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia was a product of political bias against Trump at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Justice Department.

Experts said the row threatens to further damage the already poor relations between the White House and the FBI, and could even endanger US security.

"Longer term, it politicizes intelligence, counterintelligence and law enforcement in a way that is fundamentally dangerous for the country's security," said Dan Mahaffee, senior vice-president and director of policy at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress.

Trump's move is the latest in a long and drawn-out fight between Republicans and the FBI over whether the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential elections is political in nature.

The White House contends that the investigation is all about politics, as the Washington establishment had wanted Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to win, rather than businessman and political outsider Trump.

"Republicans are looking for evidence that the FBI was partisan in its activities so they can taint the Russia investigation. They want to suggest it was a partisan witch hunt," said Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West.

Some experts have said that the Trump administration may have shot itself in the foot with the release of the memo.

Trump's first State of the Union address on Tuesday was considered by many to be a well-delivered speech that focused on boosting the economy.

But now, the White House has drawn attention away from that message and back to a politically sensitive issue.

"The political impact is twofold: even with a positively received State of the Union address, the administration has again brought the public's attention to the Russia investigation," Mahaffee said.

Ap - Xinhua

(China Daily 02/05/2018 page11)