Department of Justice officials have invited House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, as well as fellow top Republican on the committee Rep. Trey Gowdy, to a briefing Thursday on the classified information Nunes demanded in a subpoena last week, CBS News correspondent Paula Reid reports.
The exact nature of the information Nunes requested is unclear. Tension between the DOJ and some Republicans in Congress have persisted for months, as Republican chairmen have demanded extensive department records, many of them related to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election meddling and any ties to the Trump campaign. President Trump has expressed intense frustration over what he has perceived as DOJ’s failure to answer to Congress. Last week, the president railed against a “rigged system” with “unequal ‘justice.'”
“At some point, I will have no choice but to use the powers granted to the presidency and get involved!” Mr. Trump tweeted.
Last week, the DOJ declined to give top conservatives in Congress a memo Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein sent to Mueller in August authorizing and outlining the scope of the Russia investigation, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.
In an April 30th letter obtained by CBS News’ Andres Triay, Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd told Rep. Mark Meadows, R-North Carolina, and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the DOJ will not be providing the so-called “scope” memo. Jordan and Meadows, the chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, had requested the memo in an April 9 letter.
Rosenstein appointed Mueller to the post of special counsel in May 2017, after Mr. Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
CBS News’ Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.
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