CNN's Jim Sciutto: GOP memo’s key claim, that FISA surveillance of a Trump official wouldn’t have happened without the Russia dossier, is disputed

Sciutto: “Two Democrats on the House intelligence committee disputing Nunes’ description of what is really a central claim of the Nunes memo”

From the February 2 edition of CNN's Wolf:

Video file

JIM SCIUTTO: Wolf, as you've reported, and we've been reporting, a central claim of the Nunes memo is that the former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe told the House intelligence committee that that initial warrant on Carter Page would not have been issued without the Steele dossier, furthering this Republican claim, the president's claim as well, that really this is all based on the dossier, which of course at the time was funded by Democrats. But I've spoken to two Democratic members of the House intelligence committee who were in the room for McCabe's testimony before that committee, and they dispute Nunes' characterization of McCabe's comments to the committee. One of them told me they are simply mischaracterizing what he said. That's not what he remembers them saying and I'm told that Democrats on the committee are now pushing for the transcript of McCabe's testimony before the House intelligence committee to be released. We've seen that happen with some of the other witnesses, and they want that to set the record straight. I did also notice now that Paul Ryan, in addition to expressing support for the Nunes memo being released, is calling for the committee to release the Democratic memo, the Democratic side of this story in effect as well. But again, the key line here, two Democrats on the House intelligence committee disputing Nunes’ description of what is really a central claim of the Nunes memo, what Andrew McCabe told them about the role of the dossier in issuing this initial warrant on Carter Page.

Previously: 

Devin Nunes' “release the memo” saga is a transparent farce, but it's working

Report: Sean Hannity has been advising Trump on Nunes memo

Fox neglected to cover the FBI’s “grave concerns” about the Nunes memo for nearly two hours