Paul Ryan calls for a 'cleanse' of the FBI and wants Trump to release the secret GOP memo
- House Speaker Paul Ryan broke his silence Tuesday over the controversial GOP memo, calling for its public disclosure and a "cleanse" of the FBI.
- Ryan also expressed confidence in Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and the special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
- Republicans and Democrats are at odds over a memo written by the Republican chair of the House Intelligence Committee, which allegedly points to evidence of anti-Trump bias and corruption within the FBI and the Department of Justice.
House Speaker Paul Ryan called for a "cleanse" of the FBI and the release of a classified GOP memo that allegedly outlines surveillance abuse against the Trump campaign, Fox News reported Tuesday.
"Let it all out, get it all out there. Cleanse the organization," Ryan reportedly said in reference to the FBI.
"I think we should disclose all this stuff [in the memo]. It's the best disinfectant. Accountability, transparency - for the sake of the reputation of our institutions," added Ryan, who had previously skirted around questions about the memo.
Ryan was reportedly speaking at a breakfast event with members of the press Tuesday morning when he threw his support behind a push by Republicans to publicly release a controversial memo that they say details anti-Trump bias and corruption within the FBI and the Department of Justice.
Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee voted Monday in favor of disclosing the memo, which will be released to the public pending President Donald Trump's approval.
After the breakfast, Ryan held a brief press conference in which he indicated that there may have been "malfeasance at the FBI by certain individuals," though he also said he thought Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein "is doing a fine job."
In his remarks, Ryan was clear to distinguish Republican-led efforts to investigate potential illegal surveillance by officials at the FBI and the DOJ from the special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
"[The memo] is a completely separate matter from Bob Muller's investigation, and his investigation should be allowed to take its course," Ryan said.
Democrats who have seen the memo disagree with the way Republicans have characterized it, calling GOP concerns about potential abuses by the FBI and the DOJ a "misleading set of talking points."
In response, Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee revealed a memo of their own on Monday, countering what they say are attempts by the GOP to discredit Mueller's investigation.
It is unclear whether the Democrats' memo will be made public, but Rep. Mike Conaway, a Republican member on the committee, suggested that he would be in favor of its release once the entire House has reviewed it.