Memo Thursday!

Republican memo likely to be released Thursday -Trump administration official

 A Republican memo alleging anti-Trump bias at the FBI and U.S. Justice department is likely to be released on Thursday, an official of President Donald Trumps administration said on Wednesday.

The FBI said earlier on Wednesday it had "grave concerns" about the accuracy of the top-secret House Intelligence Committee memo, challenging President Donald Trump's pledge to release it.

Yes, I'm sure they have grave concerns about having their bias and conniving, and illegal surveillance revealed.

Did Deputy Dawg Andy McCabe set the administration up for the "obstruction of just us" charge? Howie Kurtz thinks so: FBI's McCabe, now stepping down, suspected in leak against White House

Reince Priebus was chairing a 7:30 a.m. intelligence meeting when one of the participants, Andrew McCabe, asked to speak to him privately.

McCabe, the deputy FBI director, closed the door and told Priebus: “We want you to know that everything in this New York Times story is bull--.”

The Times had quoted unnamed sources in reporting that Trump campaign aides and associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials. CNN had carried a similar report.

Priebus pointed to the three televisions on his office wall: “Here’s my problem, they’re going 24/7. Can the FBI say what you just told me?” McCabe said he would have to check. Priebus thought he might come out of this a freaking hero.

A few hours later, McCabe told him the bureau couldn’t start the practice of commenting on newspaper stories or it would never end. “Give me a break,” Priebus said. “I’m getting crushed all over the place, and you won’t say publicly what you told me privately?”

James Comey called later. “We really can’t do anything about it,” the FBI director told him. But Comey said he’d be willing to tell the Senate Intelligence Committee that the charges were bogus; he was sure its members would repeat that for the cameras.

Now, a week later, CNN was airing a breaking news story naming Priebus. According to “multiple U.S. officials,” the network said, “the FBI rejected a White House request to publicly knock down media reports about communications between Donald Trump’s associates and Russians known to U.S. intelligence.”

Priebus was stunned by the implication that he was pressuring law enforcement. Had he been set up? Why was the FBI leaking this information when one of its top officials had initiated the conversation?

Comey assured Priebus that afternoon that he hadn’t done anything wrong, but the story reverberated for days. “Is Reince Priebus Lying About the FBI?” Slate asked. “Reince Priebus Should Resign,” a Boston Globe columnist demanded. The damage was done.

So, will the memo be a bombshell or a dud? I'm betting somewhere in between, cataloging and documenting some of the worst actions by the FBI and DOJ, but enough to bring the whole structure tumbling down.

UPDATE: Friday!

Linked by Evi L. Bloggerlady in "FBI Memo Thursday...Update: Wait, FBI Director Wray threatening to quit? Release of memo on Friday".