In this file photo taken on December 2, 2017 U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a fundraising breakfast at a restaurant in New York. (Xinhua/AFP PHOTO)
by Matthew Rusling
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday sparked a whirlwind of controversy here by releasing a controversial GOP memo that accuses the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of political bias and abusing its powers of surveillance.
Experts said this will further damage the already poor relations between the White House and the FBI, and could even endanger U.S. security.
"Longer-term, it politicizes intelligence, counterintelligence, and law enforcement in a way that is fundamentally dangerous for the country's security," Dan Mahaffee, senior vice president and director of policy at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua, speaking of the Republican Party memo's release.
The issue is complex. But in a nutshell, Friday saw Trump authorize the release of the so-called "Nunes memo" -- a four-page secret memo written by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, a Republican.
The document alleges that the FBI abused its surveillance authority, especially when it tried to get a court order allowing it to surveil a former advisor to now President Trump -- a very serious and unusual accusation.
FBI Police vehicles sit parked outside of the J. Edgar Hoover Federal Bureau of Investigation Building in Washington, U.S., Feb. 1, 2018. (Xinhua/REUTERS)
The memo accuses the FBI and Justice Department leadership of bias against Trump and essentially argues that top Justice Department and FBI officials were determined to derail Trump.
The document is a crucial piece of information regarding Nunes' bid to investigate the U.S. Justice Department and FBI over their ongoing probe into whether members of the Trump team colluded with Russia to clinch the 2016 elections.
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.
Indeed, the White House contends that the investigation is purely a political witch hunt, as the Washington establishment had wanted Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to clinch the White House, 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," Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.
Addressing reporters at the White House on Friday over the memo, Trump said it's a "disgrace what's happening in our country," and that many people "should be ashamed of themselves."
The U.S. Department of Justice building and the J. Edgar Hoover Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Building (L) are seen in Washington, U.S., February 1, 2018. (Xinhua/REUTERS)
For its part, the FBI had not wanted the memo to be released, arguing that there were crucial pieces of information that were left out of the document. The agency argued that the release of the document would cast the agency in a bad light in front of the U.S. public, and taint its image.
Trump on Friday took to social media, tweeting that the leadership of the FBI and Justice Department have "politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans -- something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago."
He added, however, that he greatly respects the rank and file of the U.S. intelligence community.
Experts said the release of the document is highly controversial.
"This is very controversial," Mahaffee said.
That's because a tool designed to allow the Congressional intelligence oversight committees to uncover malfeasance in the intelligence community is being used in a highly politicized way, he added.
Mahaffee maintained that one piece of an abundance of information is being used to put the FBI in a negative light.
"Chairman Nunes and the Trump administration have used one limited part of the FBI investigation into the election and the surveillance of individuals in communication with Russia to try and paint an image of FBI bias," Mahaffee said.
U.S. President DonaldTrump (L) delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., the United States, Jan. 30, 2018. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)
HAS TRUMP'S MOVE BACKFIRED?
Some experts have also said that the Trump administration may have shot itself in the foot with the release of the sensitive document.
That's because Tuesday saw Trump's first State of the Union address, which was meant to be an olive branch to Democrats, and was considered by many to be a well-delivered speech that focused on boosting the economy.
But now, the White House, by releasing the document, has drawn attention away from Tuesday's message, and back to a politically sensitive issue.
"The political impact is two-fold: 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.
Friday's release of the memo may also further damage the already chilly ties between the White House and the Justice Department, as well as the intelligence services overall -- the latter two having been against the release of the document.