Dem Ted Lieu: GOP Memo Short of 'Hail Mary' to End Russia Probe

California Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu tweeted Saturday that the Republican memo alleging FBI surveillance abuses was a "fumble" that fell short of a "Hail Mary" that was needed to topple Russia special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

Here's the second-term congressman's post, on Super Bowl Weekend:

On #SuperBowl weekend, here's an analogy: @realDonaldTrump & Nunes needed a hail Mary to stop the Mueller investigation. Instead, what they executed was a dive play that lost yardage. And when the Democratic memo gets released, the replay will show a fumble.#ReleaseTheRealMemo https://t.co/6UKxPGbZAf

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) February 3, 2018

Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee released the memo Friday after President Donald Trump's approval. It was overseen by Chairman Devin Nunes, also of California.

It alleged that the warrant obtained by the FBI from the court under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to investigate former Trump campaign aide Carter Page was based on an unsubstantiated dossier of negative information on the Republican presidential candidate.

The dossier was paid, in part, by the campaign of Democrat Hillary Clinton — and this information was never disclosed in the application for the FISA warrant, according to the memo.Trump said on Twitter Saturday that the document "totally vindicates" him in the Moscow probe.

• Nunes on FISA Memo: 'An Obligation to the American People'
• Former CIA Director Hayden Slams FISA Memo: 'It's Wrong'