"We’re counting on the president to do the right thing," said Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images GOP lawmakers confident Trump will override DOJ on Nunes’ request

Key House Republicans said Tuesday they think President Donald Trump will override the Justice Department's refusal to turn over documents that top officials there say would endanger national security and risk lives.

"We’re counting on the president to do the right thing," said Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee.


Republicans on the intelligence panel huddled Tuesday morning to discuss Chairman Devin Nunes' demand for unspecified documents related to the FBI's surveillance program known as FISA, which some Republicans have argued was abused during the 2016 campaign. Nunes' demands are classified, so it's unclear what he's seeking, but he's revealed that it's connected to "FISA abuses" and "other matters" he couldn't discuss.

Nunes said Monday he intends to hold Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt of Congress if he doesn't receive the documents, and he's appealed directly to the White House for the materials as well. But GOP lawmakers said they don't believe contempt will be necessary because Trump may step in and overrule DOJ.

"Certainly it’s his DOJ. If he’s not intervening on behalf of getting Congress the proper documents, then I would be disappointed. But certainly, I don’t think the problem is at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue," said Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, who routinely speaks with Trump.

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The Justice Department warned in a letter last week that turning over the requested documents to Nunes would endanger lives and national security. But King, like Nunes, said he didn't buy the claim.

"I know what’s in there and I don’t believe it," he said.

Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters Tuesday he still hadn't spoken with Nunes about the document request or his threat to hold Sessions in contempt. Nunes said Monday he'd been in touch with Ryan's staff. A source familiar with the dispute said Nunes hadn't been in contact with the Justice Department as recently as late Monday, though Sessions expressed an interest in speaking with him during a press availability Monday afternoon.

Sessions has recused himself from the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, including possible collusion with the Trump campaign. His deputy, Rod Rosenstein, has come under fierce attacks from conservatives who have echoed Trump’s dismissal of the probe as a “witch hunt.”

Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.), another member of the Intelligence Committee, said he's supportive of the demand for documents and that Congress is "entitled" to the information.

"We have the clearances," he said. "We have the oversight."

Though few other Republicans have endorsed Nunes' suggestion that Sessions be held in contempt if DOJ doesn't comply, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said he wants Congress to hold hearings to determine “whether the legal justification for contempt exists,” adding, “We want the attorney general and the deputy attorney general to do their jobs.”