Thread by @CindyOtis_

So let's talk about this recklessly crafted, politically motivated attempt to discredit Mueller aka the Nunes memo. I've updated my @TeenVogue piece from yesterday given the memo's release, which you can read here. #MemoDay

teenvogue.com/story/the-nune…

But first, to understand the memo and its implications, you need to know about FISA. You can read about it in another of my @TeenVogue pieces here. #MemoDay
teenvogue.com/story/us-congr…

So what is the memo? In short, it's a four-page document full of cherry-picked information leading to claims it can't support. It's a character assassination against Christopher Steele, or at least an attempt--the author of the infamous dossier. #MemoDay
apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/na…

It's an effort not to refute wrongdoing by the Trump campaign, but an attempt to discredit the people who have found the wrongdoing. Essentially an effort to blame the people who caught them in the act, rather than taking responsibility for their actions.

So what's in it? It reveals Steele was an FBI source and then spends pages trying to discredit him, using mostly open source reports (Really, Yahoo News??). It says these points should have been included in the FISA application used to surveil Carter Page, but were not. #MemoDay

Inside tip from a real live former intelligence officer: Every source has biases and motivations. One of the best motivations is financial compensation. *gasp* The "reveal" of Steele's biases and motivation amount to a giant nothing burger. #MemoDay

So what's the result of this memo? Probably not what Trump/Republicans were expecting. It demonstrates the FISA courts had enough compelling evidence to extend surveillance, for starters. #MemoDay

While the memo doesn't back up any part of the "FBI conspiracy against Trump" nonsense, it will still cause damage. By publicly naming Steele as an FBI source, the administration has made it that much harder for intelligence agencies to collect information for the U.S. #MemoDay

We will no longer be able to convincingly say to potential sources that we'll protect them. If Republicans are willing to go to these lengths to play party politics, they'll basically do anything, including risking lives by revealing sources and methods. #MemoDay

Because of that, Republicans on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) have irrevocably damaged their credibility as the oversight mechanism for our Intelligence agencies. They can't be trusted to act responsibly wrt our most sensitive intelligence. #MemoDay

By going outside of the traditional methods of investigating potential wrong-doing within the Intelligence Community all to push a poorly conceived political agenda, Republicans on HPSCI have forfeited their leadership. #MemoDay