Several Republicans were irked by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act application that was sent to surveil former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, in part because intelligence officials used the infamous Christopher Steele dossier to obtain the warrant. The officials insisted that there was reason to believe Page had been targeted by the Russian government to interfere in the 2016 election. After new documents about the FISA warrant came out this week, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA) had new opportunity to push back.
“They used the dossier, the dirt from the Clinton campaign, to make up the bulk of the FISA application," Nunes told Fox News's Sean Hannity this week. "In fact, they lead with it in the FISA application.”
Nunes added that having details about the FISA warrant vindicates his committee's memo about the bias at the FBI and DOJ.
Not all Republicans believe that. Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), who serves as chairman on Senate Intelligence Committee, broke with his colleagues in the House. He believes there were “sound reasons” for those FISA warrant.
"I don't think I ever expressed that I thought the FISA application came up short," Burr told CNN. "There (were) sound reasons as to why judges issued the FISA.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota who serves on the intelligence committee with Burr, was not surprised by his remarks.
"It really doesn't surprise me," she said on MSNBC. "From the beginning, with Sen. Burr and Sen. Warner, the Senate Intelligence Committee have been trying as much as possible to do things on a bipartisan basis because...this is about the security of our democracy."
"I appreciate Sen. Burr's role here," she added.
Asked if Burr was a "lonely voice" in the GOP on this issue, Klobuchar named a handful of other Republicans who have spoken out. Sens. John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Jeff Flake and Bob Corker "really believe we need to step back" and look at Russian interference, she said. "I have appreciated their support" on moving forward on securing our elections.
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