Schiff says office has received death threats over 'Republican spin memo'

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said his office has received death threats regarding the GOP-crafted memo alleging what some Republicans say are "shocking" surveillance abuses at the Department of Justice.

Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told Axioshis office has gotten obscene calls and death threats regarding what he called the "Republican spin memo."

He also warned that "reckless hyperbole is just so destructive of our democracy."

"They have so hyped this ... that they've led their echo chamber into thinking that this is something extraordinary," he told the news outlet.

"It's incredibly misleading. I don't think it in any way impugns the Russia investigation, or provides any basis for firing any of the personnel involved."

His comments come after the House Intelligence Committee on Monday voted to make public the GOP-crafted document, but voted against making public a Democratic countermemo.

While the panel voted to release that memo to the entire House, Republicans expressed concern that publicly releasing the minority memo would damage sensitive intelligence sources and methods.

The move ended weeks of speculation over whether the memo — which was drafted by staff for committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) — would be made public.

It intensifies the dispute over what Democrats say is an all-out assault by Republicans to undermine special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian election interference and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow.

The precise contents of the memo remain unknown. However, it’s believed to contain allegations that the FBI did not adequately explain to a clandestine court that some of the information it used in a surveillance warrant application for Trump campaign adviser Carter Page came from opposition research partially funded by Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, now commonly known as the “Steele dossier.”