The UK's MI6 intelligence chiefs are trying hard to keep US President Donald Trump from publishing classified information on a probe into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential elections, according to The Telegraph.
The documents are related to an FBI investigation into Carter Page, a former foreign policy advisor to the Trump election campaign.
In particular, the memos singled out October 2016, when the FBI received permission to wiretap Page from a secret court created under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
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Trump's allies, for their part, claim, that the FBI abused their powers by failing to stick to relevant process, demanding that the documents on the case should be released.
British intelligence chiefs, in turn, have "genuine concern" that secret UK sources could be revealed if the documents are published, The Telegraph cited figures familiar with the matter as saying.
Also, the newspaper quoted an unnamed intelligence source who supports the British position as saying that "it [the publication] boils down to the exposure of people" and that "we don't want to reveal sources and methods".
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Another source claimed that Britain is alarmed over a possible dangerous "precedent" which could prod people to avoid sharing information because they would bear in mind that it could be made public someday.
In September, Trump announced his decision to declassify 21 pages from one of the memos but then backtracked. Earlier in November, he stressed that he was "very seriously" considering the move again.
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Russia has repeatedly refuted the allegations, arguing that they had never been substantiated and insisting that Moscow does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.
Trump and the White House, in turn, have repeatedly denied allegations of collusion, with the US president calling the probe a "witch hunt".
