Dem lawmaker: History will harshly judge Republicans who ‘enable Trump to smear our institutions’

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) is warning that history will harshly judge Republicans who “enable” President Trump “to smear our institutions.”

“I know GOP Members who truly believe @FBI is a hotbed of liberalism & Uranium One is a scandal. I don’t fault true believers,” Lieu tweeted on Sunday.

“But many GOP Members do not share those beliefs, yet enable Trump to smear our institutions. They are being cowards & history will judge them harshly.”

I know GOP Members who truly believe @FBI is a hotbed of liberalism & Uranium One is a scandal. I don’t fault true believers. But many GOP Members do not share those beliefs, yet enable Trump to smear our institutions. They are being cowards & history will judge them harshly. https://t.co/e6JWzLO2Nt

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) February 4, 2018

His comments come after the release of a previously classified GOP memo alleging abuse of government surveillance powers by the Justice Department. {mosads}

The memo, released last Friday, accuses senior Justice Department officials of improperly using information from the controversial “Steele dossier” to obtain surveillance warrants on Carter Page, a member of the Trump transition team and former Trump campaign adviser.

Republicans have seized on the memo’s release, saying it proves the Justice Department’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion between Trump’s campaign and Moscow, led by special counsel Robert Mueller, is tainted by bias.

But the memo also says the Russia investigation was triggered by information the bureau obtained about George Papadopoulos, a former adviser to the campaign, rather than by Page.