Nunes Memo Is Slide Toward Abuse of Power

The Trump administration announced this afternoon that the President would likely approve the release of a House Republican memo on the FBI investigation into his campaign. The following statement is attributable to Michael Waldman, President of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law:
 
“This memo is part of the slow-motion purge designed to undermine Robert Mueller’s investigation into the president and his allies. It’s yet another step on a slide into abuse of power. President Trump is already acting guilty. Now House Republicans have chosen to act guilty with him. Any abuses of surveillance powers should be addressed – that’s something the Brennan Center has supported for years. But this is not a move toward transparency; it’s a move to clumsily and perhaps permanently damage the rule of law.”
 
The Brennan Center has written extensively about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant process, which Rep. Nunes (R-Calif.), responsible for the release of the memo in question, has criticized. Read the Brennan Center’s report What Went Wrong with the FISA Court?.
 
Brennan Center experts, including President Michael Waldman and Liberty & National Security Program Co-Directors Faiza Patel and Elizabeth Goitein are available for comment on the Trump-Russia investigation, the FISA warrant process, and executive power.
 
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Naren Daniel at (646) 292–8381 or naren.daniel@nyu.edu.
 

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