Administration

Kelly has disclaimer in Justice conversations: White House doesn’t expect them to do anything illegal

White House chief of staff John Kelly has ended recent conversations with Justice Department officials intended to convey President Trump’s displeasure with their involvement in the Russian investigation by saying, as a disclaimer of sorts, that the White House does not expect them to do anything illegal or unethical, Bloomberg reported Monday.

Kelly has been meeting with Justice officials or talking to them on the phone since Trump grew angry over learning a Justice Department official has criticized the possible release of a House Intelligence Committee memo as “extraordinarily reckless” in a letter to the committee.

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Bloomberg reported that Trump saw the warning by Associate Attorney General Stephen Boyd as undermining him.

In the conversations, Kelly has lectured senior Justice officials on the White House’s expectations.

The memo, written by staff for House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), purports to detail surveillance abuses by the government. 

GOP lawmakers have pushed for the release of the memo, as they claim it will prove political bias against Trump is rampant in the FBI and Justice Department.

Kelly reportedly called Attorney General Jeff Sessions directly to complain on Trump’s behalf about Boyd’s letter warning Nunes that it would be reckless to publish the memo.

Tags Devin Nunes Donald Trump Jeff Sessions John Kelly

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