CNN anchor Anderson Cooper began his program on Thursday night by stating the controversial Republican-drafted memo alleging surveillance abuses at the Department of Justice and FBI is "in many ways a phony drama."
The commentary came just one day after 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 viewed the memo. The president is expected to sign off on allowing its release as early as Friday.
“We begin tonight with the drama over the Nunes memo,” Cooper said, referring to House Intelligence Committee Chairman 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.), whose staff drafted the memo. “Keeping them honest, it is in many ways a phony drama. Phony, because the release of the memo is by all accounts a foregone conclusion. It is, and always has been.”
"We should point out the document in question is not some bipartisan of fact by the partisan committee, it appears it will be something of a press release," the anchor continued. "Something let out under the Intelligence Committee membership, chaired, of course, by Congressman Devin Nunes."
"So despite grave concerns from the director of the FBI, Christopher Wray, as well as from officials at the Department of Justice, the memo is in all likelihood going to be released," Cooper added.
"How will we know this? We know it because the president himself said he wants it out. He’s been calling for it. On Tuesday night [after the State of the Union] he said the odds of it being released are 100 percent."
The Justice Department and FBI have both expressed staunch opposition to the memo's release, citing potential misconception of internal processes and the possibility of exposing intelligence sources and methods.
Democratic critics have said the memo was crafted specifically to discredited special counsel Robert Mueller
Robert Swan MuellerSasse: US should applaud choice of Mueller to lead Russia probe MORE's investigation into Russian election meddling, including any potential ties between President Trump's campaign and Moscow.
But 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.) insisted Thursday that the release of the memo will not impugn the Russia probe.
“What this is not is an indictment on our institutions, of our justice system. This memo is not an indictment of the FBI, of the Department of Justice. It does not impugn [Mueller's] investigation or the deputy attorney general,” Ryan said Thursday at retreat of Republican leaders in West Virginia.
“What it is, is the Congress’s legitimate function of oversight to make sure the FISA process is being used correctly,” he added, referring to a controversial government surveillance program. “If it wasn’t being used correctly, that needs to come to light and people need to be held accountable so this doesn’t affect our civil liberties.”