DOJ made last-minute plea to WH not to release classified memo: report

Top Department of Justice (DOJ) officials made a last-minute plea to the White House to not release a classified GOP memo that alleges the DOJ abused a surveillance program, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein warned White House chief of staff John Kelly that releasing the memo could put classified information at risk. Rosenstein made the plea during a meeting with FBI Director Christopher Wray, according to the Post.

{mosads}Rosenstein also asked that President Trump reconsider his push to release the document, according to the Post, adding that the department was not fully convinced that the document was accurate in how it described the DOJ’s practices.

He added that releasing the memo could create a dangerous precedent.

Wray also said during the meeting that he did not want the memo released. Attorney General Jeff Sessions did not attend the meeting.

Kelly told the two men that Trump still wanted to release the document, but that the memo would be reviewed in a process led by the National Security Council and the White House counsel, according to the Post.

The White House, DOJ and FBI all declined to comment to the Post.

The House Intelligence Committee voted Monday to release the memo, which was compiled by the committee’s chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.).

The document reportedly alleges that the DOJ abused a surveillance program in its surveillance of Trump campaign staffer Carter Page, and some Republicans claim that it proves a bias against Trump within the department.