© Greg Nash
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer
Charles (Chuck) Ellis SchumerSchumer: Nunes intent on undermining 'rule of law' with altered memo Manchin responds to Pence attacks: ‘This is why Washington sucks’ What Trump didn't say in his State of the Union address MORE (D-N.Y.) demanded Thursday that Rep. Devin Nunes
Devin Gerald NunesSchumer: Nunes intent on undermining 'rule of law' with altered memo Schiff: Nunes gave Trump 'secretly altered' version of memo Former GOP rep rips Nunes over memo: He's chair of Trump's reelection campaign MORE (R-Calif.) be removed as House Intelligence Committee chairman amid controversy over the potential release of a GOP memo that alleges "shocking" abuses of power by the FBI and Justice Department.
Schumer sent a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan
Paul Davis RyanSchumer: Nunes intent on undermining 'rule of law' with altered memo Schiff: Nunes gave Trump 'secretly altered' version of memo Several lawmakers have seen intelligence behind Nunes memo MORE (R-Wis.) questioning why he hasn't reined in Nunes, who compiled the GOP memo, and if he or any member of House GOP leadership consulted with Nunes or helped plan or draft the memo.
Paul Davis RyanSchumer: Nunes intent on undermining 'rule of law' with altered memo Schiff: Nunes gave Trump 'secretly altered' version of memo Several lawmakers have seen intelligence behind Nunes memo MORE (R-Wis.) questioning why he hasn't reined in Nunes, who compiled the GOP memo, and if he or any member of House GOP leadership consulted with Nunes or helped plan or draft the memo. ADVERTISEMENT
Schumer's letter comes roughly an hour after House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro PelosiPence rips Pelosi for describing ,000 as 'crumbs' The Memo: Trump sticks to his guns on immigration agenda Manchin responds to Pence attacks: ‘This is why Washington sucks’ MORE (D-Calif.) similarly demanded that Nunes be removed from his spot atop the House Intelligence Committee.
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro PelosiPence rips Pelosi for describing ,000 as 'crumbs' The Memo: Trump sticks to his guns on immigration agenda Manchin responds to Pence attacks: ‘This is why Washington sucks’ MORE (D-Calif.) similarly demanded that Nunes be removed from his spot atop the House Intelligence Committee. Nunes has been under growing Democratic fire, as well as skepticism from some Republicans, over a memo that alleges "shocking" surveillance abuses by the Justice Department, according to GOP lawmakers.
The memo is said to contain allegations of the FBI improperly surveilling Trump campaign communications.
The House Intelligence Committee voted earlier this week to publicly release the memo, which is currently under review by the White House.
Democrats have slammed the memo as a compilation of cherry-picked facts meant to undercut Muller's probe into Russia's election interference and potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow. The FBI said in a statement Wednesday that it had "grave concerns" about releasing the memo in its current form.
Multiple sources told CNN that Trump believes the memo will help discredit the Russia investigation.
Schumer has repeatedly lashed out at Nunes and the memo this week.
He added on Thursday that House Republicans are trying to "sow conspiracy theories and attack the integrity and credibility of federal law enforcement as a means to protect President Trump
Donald John TrumpSchiff: Nunes gave Trump 'secretly altered' version of memo Davis: ‘Deep state’ existed in ’16 – but it elected Trump Former Trump legal spokesman to testify to Mueller about undisclosed call: report MORE and undermine the work of Special Counsel Mueller."
Schumer's letter came after Sen. John Thune
John Randolph ThuneApple confirms government inquiry over device slowdowns Senate Republicans call on Trump to preserve NAFTA Key senator floats new compromise for immigration talks MORE (R-S.D.), the No. 3 Senate Republican, warned House Republicans to proceed with caution before making the House Intelligence Committee memo public. Rep. Adam Schiff
Adam Bennett SchiffSchumer: Nunes intent on undermining 'rule of law' with altered memo Schiff: Nunes gave Trump 'secretly altered' version of memo Several lawmakers have seen intelligence behind Nunes memo MORE (D-Calif.) said on Wednesday night that Nunes gave the White House a "secretly altered" version of the memo.
Donald John TrumpSchiff: Nunes gave Trump 'secretly altered' version of memo Davis: ‘Deep state’ existed in ’16 – but it elected Trump Former Trump legal spokesman to testify to Mueller about undisclosed call: report MORE and undermine the work of Special Counsel Mueller." "Quite simply, under your leadership, dangerous partisanship among many House Republicans seems to have taken precedent over the oath we all take to protect our nation," he added in the letter to Ryan.
In addition to wanting to know if House leadership was involved with the memo, Schumer also wants the House Speaker to respond to the FBI's public statement that it has "grave concerns" about omissions in the Nunes's memo.
He also wants to know if Ryan or his staff have been speaking to the White House about the memo; if Nunes, Ryan or his staff have viewed the classified documents that Nunes says his memo is based on, and if he has received any assurances that releasing the memo will not harm national security.
John Randolph ThuneApple confirms government inquiry over device slowdowns Senate Republicans call on Trump to preserve NAFTA Key senator floats new compromise for immigration talks MORE (R-S.D.), the No. 3 Senate Republican, warned House Republicans to proceed with caution before making the House Intelligence Committee memo public.Adam Bennett SchiffSchumer: Nunes intent on undermining 'rule of law' with altered memo Schiff: Nunes gave Trump 'secretly altered' version of memo Several lawmakers have seen intelligence behind Nunes memo MORE (D-Calif.) said on Wednesday night that Nunes gave the White House a "secretly altered" version of the memo. Jack Langer, Nunes's spokesman, said in a statement that Schiff's letter amounted to another "strange attempt to thwart publication of the memo."
But Schumer seized on the claim, asking, in the letter to Ryan, if he was aware of the differences and if he knew of any previous instance "where a Chairman has unilaterally and substantively changed a document ... without notifying the committee? Or without voting on an amended document?"