Trump claims he is 'totally vindicated' by recently released Nunes memo - Twitter hits back
Twitter has been quick to react.
US President Donald Trump believes the recent release of the Nunes memo written by Republicans has completely vindicated him of Russian collusion.
The Nunes Memo - alleging abuse of power by the FBI over the investigation into collusion between the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign and Russia - was released on Friday (2 February). Trump gave his permission for the memo to be released, saying that some people should be "ashamed of themselves" and that the supposed bias was a "disgrace".
Much to the surprise of no one, Trump has taken to Twitter to share his views. "This memo totally vindicates "Trump" in probe," the US President tweeted. "But the Russian Witch Hunt goes on and on. Their (sic) was no Collusion there was no Obstruction (the word now used because, after one year of looking endlessly and finding NOTHING, collusion is dead). This is an American disgrace!"
The four-page memo, with a cover letter from the White House counsel, claims that the FBI omitted information in its application for a wiretap on Trump advisor Carter Page. It claims this shows FBI political bias against Donald Trump, thus discrediting the ongoing investigation into the president's ties with Russia.
The memo argues that the application for surveillance was based on information in the Steele Dossier - produced by a British former spy Christoper Steele and funded in part by the Democratic Party - which alleged that Trump and his associates may have colluded with the Kremlin to win the 2016 presidential election.
Devin Nunes, Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said the memo's findings "represent a troubling breakdown of legal processes established to protect the American people from abuses". The FBI issued a rare statement ahead of the memo's release saying it had "grave concerns" about the decision.
Like usual, Twitter has been quick to bite back:
If you want to read the full Nunes memo, here it is: