A growing chorus of congressional Republicans are calling for the release of a top secret four-page memo that allegedly details rampant abuse of foreign surveillance tools for political purposes by the Obama administration. However, most Texas congressmen have so far been silent on the issue despite many having significant oversight of the agencies involved.
Rep. Ron DeSantis of Florida on Thursday called the memo “deeply troubling” and said it “raises serious questions about the upper echelon of the Obama DOJ and Comey FBI.”
Rep. Steve King of Iowa joined in and called the memo “sickening” and said it details a scandal “worse than Watergate.” Likewise, Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, has joined in saying the memo is “absolutely shocking.”
The congressmen are using the Twitter hashtag #ReleaseTheMemo, which is trending strongly on the social media site as Americans take notice.
The document was initially released to members of the House Intelligence Committee but has allegedly since been made available to all 435 congressmen.
Most Texas Congressmen, however, have so far been mum on the scandal.
Congressmen Bill Flores (R–Bryan) and Louie Gohmert (R–Tyler) have chimed in, however, calling for the memo to be released.
Likewise, Jason Wright, one of the candidates for Texas’ 5th Congressional District has called for the memo to be made available to the American people.
The silence of some Texas congressmen is particularly notable. For example, Rep. John Culberson (R–Houston) is chairman of an appropriations subcommittee that oversees funding of the Department of Justice. Likewise, Rep. Mike Conaway (R–Midland) and Rep. Will Hurd (R–Helotes) serve on the Intelligence Committee while Rep. Blake Farenthold (R–Corpus Christi), Rep. Ted Poe (R–Houston) (See Update Below), Rep. John Ratcliffe (R–Heath), and Rep. Lamar Smith (R–San Antonio) serve on the Judiciary Committee, which oversees the Department of Justice.
Texans should call their congressmen and demand they lead the fight in releasing the memo.
Americans deserve to know the truth about the crimes committed by the Obama administration. Those who abuse the power of government for political ends must be held accountable, and that must start with the release of this bombshell memo.
UPDATE: Since publication, Rep. Randy Weber (R–Friendswood) and Rep. Ted Poe (R–Houston) have joined the chorus of legislators calling for the memo to be released. Poe is additionally calling on President Trump to delay signing a bill reauthorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act until the memo is made available to the public. Texas Scorecard will update this article as we become aware of other Texas congressmen who are calling for release of the memo.
