U.S. Rep. Tom Reed told reporters Tuesday he had seen the House Intelligence Committee memo, been briefed on it and supports its public release.
The memo, prepared by Intelligence Committee Republicans, including Chairman Devin Nunes of California, has deepened the committee’s partisan split.
Democrats see the memo as a ploy to undercut Special Counsel Robert Mueller III, charged with probing Russian influence in the 2016 presidential election, and the Justice Department official in charge of Mueller.
“That assumption is completely false,” Reed, R-Corning, said in response to that narative during his weekly press call. “I have seen the memo and I have been briefed. … At the end of the day, we will get past the political rhetoric.”
The memo allegedly accuses the Justice Department and the FBI of misusing their authority in obtaining a secret surveillance warrant for a former campaign associate of President Donald Trump.
Reed said he supports the release of the memo, which the Justice Department warned would be “extraordinarily reckless,” because “I trust the American people. They are not stupid.”
Reed said the issue “may need to be addressed legislatively.” Letting in “a little sunshine” on the process would allow for some conversation about the surveillance programs on how to protect freedoms like the right to privacy and balance that with the needs of law enforcement in protecting the country.
On another issue, Reed, a co-chairman of the Problem Solvers Caucus, said the bipartisan House group was advancing a plan to deal with a one- or two-year federal spending cap, a path to citizenship for 800,000 Dreamers here under DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and $2.5 billion for border security.
The continuing resolution needs to pass the House and Senate and be signed by the president in order to keep the government open past Feb. 8.
Reed predicted two weeks ago that a government shutdown could be avoided, but Congress did not vote for three days to reopen the government and extend for six years the Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Reed again touted the Problems Solvers Caucus, saying it is providing “a culture of trust based on working relationships.” There are 24 Republicans and 24 Democrats on the caucus.
The White House is well aware of the Problem Solvers Caucus, said Reed, who was an early Trump supporter in Congress and a member of the president’s transition team.
“We are the source of breaking the gridlock in Washington, D.C.,” Reed said, adding that the Problem Solvers have been working for the past three months to combine a budget deal with issues like DACA and border security.
“This is another giant leap for the Problem Solvers Caucus,” Reed said. “We are sending a message to leadership that we want to govern.”
Two more issues Reed expected to hear about in Tuesday night’s State of the Union speech by Trump were immigration and infrastructure. “The best way to solve these issues is to work together across the aisle.”
What priorities does Reed see for the district in a $1 trillion infrastructure bill?
Reed said traditional infrastructure projects he supports include construction of a four-lane Route 219 through Cattaraugus County and new sewer systems around Chautauqua Lake and water projects in northern Chautauqua County.
Rural areas across the 23rd Congressional District and across New York are in need of broadband expansion, he said.
(Contact reporter Rick Miller at rmiller@oleantimesherald.com. Follow him on Twitter, @RMillerOTH)
