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The president, in his letter, the letter from his lawyer, Don McGahn, saying the department, that is the Department of Justice, has identified portions of the February 5th memorandum, the disclosure of which it believes would create especially significant concerns for the national security and law enforcement interests...
Now it is interesting for the president to cite that opposition from the FBI and the Department of Justice one week after he ignored similar guidance from the FBI, saying that it opposed the release of the Nunes memo at the time.
The FBI says, as expressed during our initial review, we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo's accuracy. That referring to the Republican memo which the president did allow declassification without any redactions.
[05:20:00] SCIUTTO (voice-over): -- a double standard. The question now is what happens. It is going back to the Intelligence Committee to decide what is redacted. But of course that Intelligence Committee has a majority of Republicans. They are the ones who drafted that initial memo.
The question is what version of the Democratic version of events comes out of this process in the end -- Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.
HOWELL: All right, Jim, thank you so much.
Another story we're following. A second White House official has resigned over allegations of domestic abuse. This time, it's speech writer David Sorenson. Sorenson denies the accusations but stepped down anyway.
This resignation comes just days after White House staff secretary Rob Porter also quit. This after his ex-wife published a photo of herself with a black eye. Yet, when asked about it on Friday, President Trump seemed to give Porter the benefit of the doubt.
TRUMP: Well, we wish him well. He worked very hard. Found out about it recently and I was surprised by it. But we certainly wish him well. It's, obviously, a tough time for him. He did a very good job when he was in the White House. And we hope he has a wonderful career and hopefully he will have a great career ahead o...
HOWELL: Sources familiar with the situation say the president blames chief of staff John Kelly for letting the Porter scandal get out of hand. But the White House denies that Kelly offered to resign.
And another story, the U.S. Justice Department. It's losing another high-ranking, seasoned official. Rachel Brand is the number three at the department, serving under deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein.
She has been at the Justice Department since the administration of George W. Bush and was promoted to her current position in May. She's leaving to take a senior executive job at Walmart.
Let's talk more about all of this with Leslie Vinjamuri. Leslie teaches international relations at SOAS University of London, live for us at our London bureau this hour.
Always a pleasure to have you on the show, Leslie. Let's talk about this Democratic memo. The optics of the U.S. president blocking it and the why behind it.
LESLIE VINJAMURI, SOAS UNIVERSITY OF LONDON: It looks very much like it's politically motivated. There was a vote on the House Committee, too, that this should now be released. We have been wondering I think for a good week about whether it would be.
And what we've heard about the memo is that it gives context as to whether or not, you know, there was -- one thing is whether or not there was a full evidence, full information given when that request was made to surveil Carter Page.
And but the president, initially, you know, indicated that he was supportive of the release and now has, of course, blocked it. So it looks like it's politically motivated, like he doesn't want the American public to have a balanced view.
But, of course, it's very difficult to ascertain and now that information will not see the light of day or at least anytime soon, which I think is very upsetting for many people.
HOWELL: Does seem, though, the Democrats will keep pushing on that issue.
The other story that is in play this day, the White House on the defensive in this resignation of the speech writer, David Sorenson. This after staff secretary Rob Porter also resigned. We're talking, Leslie, about two departures related to the same issue all within a week.
Is this coincidence or are we starting to see the dam break here?
VINJAMURI: Well, the allegations of domestic abuse. I think the big question here is who was aware of this. There's a real question about for how long John Kelly was aware of this and what Donald Trump was aware of.
I think one concern in the context of a very significant period in the United States and beyond, when people are being asked to really take very seriously any allegations of sexual abuse, certainly of domestic abuse, that it doesn't -- it doesn't look like there is, like the chief of staff or the president are coming o...
But there is always a sense of trying to protect and cover up. And I think that's tremendously damaging for the United States, certainly for the White House. And it certainly looks like things are, once again, being handled very poorly internally.
And it's creating a level of dysfunctionality that we've seen throughout the last 13 months now.
HOWELL: And the question certainly as to whether people in the White House knew about these allegations. The feeling among many people, people saying that they probably did know and the question now, are they just starting to handle these issues because people did know about these allegations all along?
HOWELL: -- him to do so.
How important is it, now that we see John Kelly under the microscope, a very important fixture there in the White House?
VINJAMURI: Yes, I think this has been an ongoing question whether or not what to make of this and whether or not this will lead to John Kelly's resignation. A lot of people don't think so.
But there is a sort of sense that he said quietly and privately. It has not been confirmed that he would resign. If he does go, a question of how many other people will go. And there's also a question right now of how many people he has there supporting him as we're seeing a number of people leave.
He's only been in that post for just over six months. If he does go, it will be, of course, lead to further breakdown in terms of the internal management at a time when there has been a lot of chaos.
But I'm not -- I just don't think we know right now which way it will go. But there's certainly considerable shadow now over a man who's at the forefront of American politics and doesn't seem to be taking these allegations as seriously as they need to be taken.
HOWELL: Leslie Vinjamuri, live for us, thank you so much. And we'll stay in touch with you.
HOWELL: Certainly a lot of hope, a lot of people looking at this Olympic diplomacy between North and South Korea but some are saying, wait, remember who you're dealing with. That is the message the U.S. and these protesters are sending to the president of South Korea. The very latest after the break.
Plus, on the ground with elite U.S. forces inside Syria. CNN gains rare access -- ahead.
HOWELL: -- CNN NEWSROOM, thank you so much for being with us. I'm George Howell with the headlines we're following for you.
(HEADLINES) HOWELL: Back now to the Olympic diplomacy that has been playing out. The South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, now has a very fine line to walk. As we've been reporting, he has been invited to visit Pyongyang and has expressed hope for bringing the Koreas closer together.
However, South Korea remains a strong ally of the United States, which is fiercely skeptical of North Korea's motives. Vice President Mike Pence is in South Korea, and was within a very close view of Kim Jong- un's sister at the opening ceremony.
He says that he's carrying the message to Seoul: don't trust North Korea's overtures, the Kim regime is still a brutal regime.
Let's bring in CNN's Will Ripley, who has reported extensively from North Korea, joining now live from PyeongChang, South Korea.
Will, it's always a pleasure to have you here on the show for your reporting and perspective on this.
First of all, the direct question here, what do you make of this invitation from the North Korean leader to the president of South Korea to visit?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I learned about this on Friday morning local time, George, before the North Korean military parade, which my sources tell me was scaled down at the last minute.
And during the parade, Kim Jong-un never mentioned the word "nuclear." He referred to the North Koreans as "a military power." That was one thing that sources told me that was noteworthy, that the parade was made smaller and Kim Jong-un's rhetoric was toned down.
And they also told me on Friday -- so this is before the opening ceremony of the Olympics -- that it would be very likely at the lunch on Saturday that in fact Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un's sister, would either deliver a note from Kim Jong-un or a personal invitation to travel to North Korea.
And of course as we found out several hours ago that is precisely what happened. The lunch was an opportunity for more informal discussions. Kim Jong-nam, the higher-ranking member of the delegation, was also present there.
But Kim Jong-un's sister, even though technically lower ranking is obviously far more influential. She's been a rising star within the North Korean government. She's a high-ranking member of the Workers' Party of Korea and she was sent here to South Korea as a special envoy, with a mission, a diplomatic mission, to war...
South Korea. It's the day that the Korean Peninsula was liberated from the Japanese. So as they look at possible times and dates for this trip, obviously, this really does sideline the United States because, as this diplomacy was happening, you had Vice President Mike Pence, visiting with North Korean defectors, speaki...
They accused him of violating the Olympic spirit. And then at the opening ceremonies, that really awkward moment, when Vice President Pence was initially supposed to be sitting directly in front of the North Korean delegation, he actually switched seats so that he could move farther away.
But if the seating chart had been followed correctly, the optics would have been more awkward and bizarre than they turned out to be with all of the photos that we saw from the opening ceremonies.
So if you're somebody in Vice President Pence's camp right now, you can't be too happy with how this is going down because Vice President Pence came here to tell the South Koreans that, once the Olympics are over, diplomacy should be over.
RIPLEY: They should disengage. They should join the United States with upping the pressure, the maximum pressure campaign that the U.S. is pushing for. But, instead, what South Korea's President Moon has done is really the exact opposite. He is open to further engagement with the North Koreans.
In fact, tonight, they're going to be having the inter-Korean women's ice hockey game and President Moon of South Korea will be attending that game with Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong and with Kim Jong- nam, the ceremonial head of state of North Korea.
So they'll be sitting there, cheering on the team together, not the optics that the United States certainly was hoping for -- George.
HOWELL: Certainly interesting optics. And that image, as well, certainly would be weird if there were chips to be passed down the aisle with the North Korean leader's sister there and the Vice President of the United States.
But, again, a very historic moment as we're seeing these two Koreas, possibly, meeting, the presidents in Pyongyang. Thank you so much, Will, for your reporting. We'll, of course, stay in touch with you.
about what is happening because there's a lot of nuance here. North Korea did not really have to offer much to be part of these games. Some would say that it was a matter of security to have them present there.
But South Korea, the president of South Korea, as he's invited to North Korea, what will he have to bring home substantive to make this worthwhile?
DUYEON KIM, KOREAN PENINSULA FUTURE FORUM: Thanks for having me back. So on the substantive side, the South Korean public, which has grown used to seeing this movie several times for the past decades, actually, would want to see him bring back some sort of promise and commitment to denuclearize, to give up the North's ...
Now that is going to be a complicated and tricky thing to do. But that is ultimately what it is going to come down to. That piece on the Korean Peninsula for the South Korean public means no nuclear weapons.
And so the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, he really has his work cut out for him. He is going to have to try to convince Washington to essentially come on board with this vision and this game plan of inter-Korean reconciliation leading to some sort of U.S.- North Korea nuclear dialogue and eventual negotiations t...
But we've heard Vice President Pence say reportedly that he would like to see all doors shut after the Olympics, to go back to a maximum pressure campaign. And that's going to be difficult for President Moon.
The North really has tempted President Moon with this invitation to the North and a summit, which President Moon has wanted, as early as possible. President Moon will be tempted to want to try and delay U.S.-South Korean military exercises once again for months further, until after the summit.
And how will that fare in the eyes of Washington?
For Washington, these exercises, sure, you know, during the Olympics truce, we've had a reduction of tensions and that's certainly preferred and needed, compared to last year's dangerous situation.
But if you map it out and if you think about how this all plays out on the ground, what this means is the U.S. and South Korea will have to put down their guard. Their military exercises are defensive in nature. They'll have to put down their guard.
While the North has its sword, so to speak, pointed at South Korea and the U.S., it still has its nuclear weapons in hand. So that's a practical, immediate challenge that President Moon will have to think about.
HOWELL: Why do you surmise this is happening right now?
Do you think it's because of the sanctions?
Is it due to the president -- the U.S. president's ratcheted-up rhetoric, the freeze that has taken place on North Korea?
KIM: Well, I think there are several factors combined and drivers in place. Fundamentally, it could be, first, that we've heard reports that sanctions are taking effect and Pyongyang obviously has calculated for it and will realize that future sanctions or the current sanctions regime in place will bite eventually.
KIM: -- in terms of that thinking and those interests with North Korea. And also this is also Pyongyang's ploy, to try to pull South Korea further away from the U.S. and so far it's dangling enough bait to try to make it very tempting for the South.
HOWELL: Duyeon Kim, live for us in Seoul, South Korea. Thank you so much for the perspective today.
Still ahead, ISIS is on the run but civilians are still caught in the middle of a very brutal civil war taking place in Syria. We look at some of the many factions locked up in this conflict -- still ahead.
Plus, the unified Korean women's ice hockey team is preparing for its Olympic debut in just a few hours' time. The very latest from PyeongChang, South Korea, as NEWSROOM rolls on.
The U.S. military role inside Syria is growing more complicated and ever more dangerous. U.S. Special Operations Forces have to watch for attacks from pro-government forces while watching for attacks from ISIS. Our Nick Paton Walsh gained exclusive access after a recent pro-regime assault. Here's the report that he fil...
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The main reason America says it's still in Syria is out there in the cold dust that hides the remnants of ISIS. Over the years, berms like these have slowly pinned ISIS down into smaller and smaller territory, the last sliver of desert there on the Syrian-Iraq...
WALSH (voice-over): -- continue to mount.
Last night another new enemy emerged near here. Tanks and 500 militants loyal to the Syrian regime advanced on and shelled American commandos and their Syrian Kurdish allies not far west of here.
And as these U.S. drone pictures help show, U.S. warplanes and gunships killed 100 of them. This artillery crew were also hit. Many others then fled.
What on Earth just happened the night before and why haunts the U.S. Special Operations Forces commander.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess I am a little bit surprised. Whoever that was, knew that the SDF were in defensible positions and knows that they're a fierce opponent.
WALSH: Does your head begin to spin occasionally when you just look around going, where do the enemy stop and where does the good news begin?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It can be complex out here if you try to take into all those factors. The good thing about being in the military is that we usually have a military mission and our military mission out here is to defeat ISIS.
WALSH (voice-over): When that attack began, this Kurdish commander rang a Russian military monitor meant to keep the peace here to ask what was happening.
"He told me there were no movements," he said. "And then they were happening without their permission."
An hour later he rang and asked for a cease-fire.
"It's strange. Russia is a great power and knows not any move from the regime. They bear responsibility for yesterday."
Kicking ISIS out of Syria and Raqqa below has left a vacuum but also devastation. No nobody knows how many are buried under the rubble below. Yet the U.S. is trying to help rebuild, to clear the endless mines ISIS hit, leaving toys or refrigerators decaying. The new local police are lining the streets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've learned lessons, the wrong way to do this. And I think we are doing a very good job of making sure that everything we're doing here is through the Raqqa civil council, the governing body here that is dictating and providing the guidance for whatever we are doing to try to help.
WALSH (voice-over): ISIS surely never expected to have U.S. commandos touring their execution amphitheater or even ordering 20 chicken kabobs on the streets here. A message to the outside world: it is safe enough to come and help to rebuild.
"I was the first person to reopen here," he says. "We need basic services, water, electricity. I had three mines in my own home but the local council removed them."
Life is rushing back here because no one can wait for the rubble to be cleared, for the mines to be gone. So ignored and desperate, these people once let ISIS' horror in. Now they urgently need something better so it never returns -- Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Northern Syria.
HOWELL: Let's talk more about this now with Anne Barnard. Anne is the Beirut bureau chief for "The New York Times" and has provided extensive coverage on the war on Syria.
Anne, thank you so much for being with us to talk about this.
First of all, look, many people do feel that the war against ISIS is over. But, in fact, you write that many of those militants have gone underground. What we're seeing, the stepped-up attacks now from the Syrian government on rebels that it had initially been targeting, along with what you describe as a separate but i...
ANNE BARNARD, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Well, that's right. First of all, the sense that the war against Islamic State is over may be premature in the sense that you can't just defeat an insurgent group that goes underground and continues to fight with guerilla tactic.
We've seen groups like that reemerge in many countries over the years and I think it would be premature to have a mission accomplished moment about ISIS. At the same time, long before ISIS was, you know, the most attention-getting facet of the conflict in Syria internationally, the conflict was going on for years betwe...
HOWELL: Anne, I want to delve just a bit deeper in that. Let's show our viewers, again, the map of Syria. And, again, you know, we kind of indicate some of these major flashpoints just to get a sense of what's happening there, these different areas.
So from what's happening in Afrin, Turkish troops there; Idlib and Eastern Ghouta, help our viewers to understand exactly what is playing out in that nation.

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