Republican lawmakers ignited a firestorm late on Thursday after they received a classified memo that documented extensive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) abuse that officials described as “explosive” and “absolutely shocking.”
Sources who viewed the FISA memo told journalist Sara A. Carter that “they would not be surprised if it leads to the end of Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel investigation into President Trump and his associates.” The sources predicted that it most likely will lead to senior-level government officials at the FBI and DOJ being removed from their positions.
A senior government official who viewed the document and could only speak on the condition of anonymity, since the document is classified, told Carter:
The document shows a troubling course of conduct and we need to make the document available, so the public can see it. Once the public sees it, we can hold the people involved accountable in a number of ways … some of these people should no longer be in the government.
Another official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that they will “get this stuff released by the end of the month.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who viewed the FISA memo, told Fox News that he thinks government officials are headed to prison based on the information contained in the document.
“I think that this will not end just with firings,” Gaetz said. “I believe there are people who will go to jail. You don’t get to try to undermine our country, undermine our elections, and then simply get fired.”
WATCH:
Multiple Republican lawmakers who saw the FISA memo took to Twitter to sound the alarm about its damning nature and called for it to be immediately released to the public.
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) tweeted: “I have read the memo. The sickening reality has set in. I no longer hold out hope there is an innocent explanation for the information the public has seen. I have long said it is worse than Watergate. It was #neverTrump & #alwaysHillary. #releasethememo”
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) tweeted: “I viewed the classified report from House Intel relating to the FBI, FISA abuses, the infamous Russian dossier, and so-called 'Russian collusion.' What I saw is absolutely shocking. This report needs to be released--now. Americans deserve the truth. #ReleaseTheMemo”
Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL) tweeted: “I read the classified documents compiled by the House Intelligence Committee. I believe these documents should be released to the public.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) tweeted: “The House must immediately make public the memo prepared by the Intelligence Committee regarding the FBI and the Department of Justice...There is no higher priority than the release of this information to preserve our democracy…The facts contained in the Intelligence Committee's memo regarding the @FBI and @TheJusticeDept are jaw-dropping and demand full transparency. The House must make public the #FISAmemo immediately.”
Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) tweeted: "The classified report compiled by House Intelligence is deeply troubling and raises serious questions about the upper echelon of the Obama DOJ and Comey FBI as it relates to the so-called collusion investigation...While the report is classified as Top Secret, I believe the select committee should, pursuant to House rules, vote to make the report publicly available as soon as possible. This is a matter of national significance and the American people deserve the truth."
Political insiders that are deeply connected in Washington, D.C. also offered their insights about the FISA memo and what may come from it.
Fox News contributor and former Trump administration official Sebastian Gorka said that the memo is just the tip of the iceberg and will have wide-reaching implications that will impact the 2018 midterm elections.
Gorka tweeted: "My sources tell me tonight that the 'nuclear' memo is just the beginning. By the end of it all, the tapping of candidate @realDonaldTrump’s phone will be the least of the Left’s problems. #ObamaGate "
Investigative journalist Sara A. Carter, who has closely reported on the Trump investigation for months, tweeted: "I was told by a congressional source that “roughly 50 to 60 Congressional members viewed the House Intelligence Committee #FISAabuse report” and many are calling to #ReleaseTheDocuments"
Former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino fired off several tweets declaring this the "biggest scandal of our generation" that will "make the IRS scandal look like a Leave it to Beaver episode."