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Katko: Nunes memo could either be big deal or big nothing

Tom Fazzio
/
WRVO News (file photo)
Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus)

Central New York Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus) said Thursday it would be very bad if a memo from the House Intelligence Committee shows people with political motivations skewed special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into ties between Russia and President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. 

Katko said he has not seen the Nunes memo yet, but said it could either be a big deal, or nothing at all.

“If there was bias, that’s a huge concern," Katko said. "It will tarnish the investigation. If there was bias, shame on them. If there’s not, it’s good this is coming out to show that there wasn’t any. Either way, we need to examine it.”

The White House is expected to approve the release of the memo. It reportedly claims the FBI relied on the Steele dossier as evidence to wiretap a former Trump advisor. The Steele dossier was paid for, in part, by a law firm representing the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Democrats say the Nunes memo is misleading and designed to discredit the Russia investigation.  

Tom Magnarelli is a reporter covering the central New York and Syracuse area. He joined WRVO as a freelance reporter in 2012 while a student at Syracuse University and was hired full time in 2015. He has reported extensively on politics, education, arts and culture and other issues around central New York.