Shepard Smith goes after the FBI memo narrative in a scathing monologue

Fox New anchor Shepard Smith criticized the purveyors of the narrative surrounding a memo written by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) that reportedly shows bias at the FBI and the Department of Justice.

Here's what he said:

"Remember, this began with Devin Nunes," Smith said. "The same Devin Nunes who last year made White House surveillance claims, staged a rush to the White House to purportedly share surveillance information with the administration, but actually took information from the administration and staged a report of it."

"At it's core, it was PR," he said, "and it was bogus."

"Devin Nunes wrote the memo currently in question," he continued. "He will not share it with investigators. The Trump Justice Department wants to see it, he won't let them. The same Trump Department says it should not be made public as it would damage the nation. It's classified, it could reveal sources and methods."

"The Republican Trump appointee," he explained, "the assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd, says releasing the memo would be extremely reckless. Richard Burr, the Republican of North Carolina, Chairman on the Select Committee on Intelligence, has requested a look before any possible declassification. Look denied."

"Many who see the memo say it's misleading, distracting, and lacking context," Smith added. "The memo itself is in the conservative discussion mix, while the special counsel investigating Russian interference in our democracy is apparently about to interview the president of the United States while seeking to determine if he's colluded with the Russians or obstructed justice."

"A memo can be a weapon of partisan mass distraction," he stated.

"Especially at a pivotal moment in history," Smith continued, "when it behooves the man in charge for supporters to believe the institutions can't be trusted, investigators are corrupt and the newsmedia are liars."

"Context matters," he concluded.

Here's the video of Shep Smith's comments on Fox News:

Shep Smith just totally shattered the Nunes memo narrative his colleagues Fox News have been pushing. pic.twitter.com/JAdkVjQOtA

— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) January 25, 2018