Graham, Meadows go on the attack over Steele dossier

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) on Wednesday intensified their attacks on a controversial dossier containing opposition research against President Trump, one day after Capitol Hill testimony was released from the co-founder of Fusion GPS, the firm behind the document.

“I want the entire story regarding Fusion GPS, the Dossier, and the Department of Justice to be revealed,” Graham tweeted.

I’ve been clear that we need a Special Counsel to investigate the Trump campaign and Russia.

It’s equally clear we need to investigate how #DOJ conducted themselves regarding the Clinton e-mail investigation and the Trump campaign investigation.

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 10, 2018

The best way to start this process is to declassify how the dossier was used by the #DOJ and the DOJ’s interactions with Mr. Steele.

We can do this and still protect sources and methods.

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 10, 2018

Meadows, meanwhile, listed multiple questions about the dossier he still wants answered, including whether the Justice Department under former President Barack Obama used it to target the Trump campaign.

2. Why did intelligence officials wait 2 months after the election (Jan 6, 2017) to brief President-elect Trump on the dossier? Why brief him on a document that James Comey later admitted was “salacious and unverified?” Did they need that briefing to legitimize the dossier?

— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) January 10, 2018

4. Why did Bruce Ohr, an Obama DOJ lawyer, meet with Fusion GPS Founder Glenn Simpson right after the 2016 election?

— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) January 10, 2018

Bonus question: Why won’t the FBI answer any of these?

— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) January 10, 2018

Meadows, chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is among the GOP representatives who have in recent weeks alleged bias within the FBI against Trump, citing anti-Trump texts from a former member of special counsel Robert Mueller’s team.

{mosads}

Graham and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) last week sent a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray asking that they investigate the dossier’s author, Christopher Steele.

Graham has said he believes a special counsel is needed to review the handling of the dossier, which contains claims of ties between Trump and Russia.

Democrats have claimed the dossier contains evidence that could help prove collusion between Russia and Trump and his campaign officials, while Republicans insist that it is full of unverified claims that the FBI might have used to improperly secure a warrant to spy on Trump’s campaign and transition.

On Tuesday Judiciary Committee ranking member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) unilaterally released the transcript of testimony from the co-founder of Fusion GPS, which is the firm that hired Steele. 

On Wednesday Graham said releasing the transcript doesn’t go far enough. 

“The best way to start this process is to declassify how the dossier was used by the #DOJ and the DOJ’s interactions with Mr. Steele. We can do this and still protect sources and methods,” Graham tweeted.