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Democrats have defended the probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election in a party memo released on Saturday.

The 10-page, partially-redacted document, posted to the House Intelligence Committee website, slammed a previously secret Republican memo, declassified by Donald Trump , as a "transparent effort to undermine" investigations by the FBI, Justice Department and Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

The memo defends the FBI's obtaining of warrants to conduct temporary surveillance of Carter Page, an associate of the President's election campaign, who the Democrats say "the FBI assessed to be an agent of the Russian government."

The Republican memo, the Democrats allege, "also risks public exposure of sensitive sources and methods for no legitimate purpose."

(Image: Reuters)

The Democratic memo and a Republican counterattack that included a point-by-point refutation of the minority Democrats' conclusions, are an escalation of the partisan feuding that Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, and other members of his party have said is sabotaging the House committee's investigation.

Trump hit back on Twitter, writing: "The Democrat memo response on government surveillance abuses is a total political and legal BUST. Just confirms all of the terrible things that were done. SO ILLEGAL!"

Trump wrote to Congress two weeks ago to say the four-page Republican document was now declassified, adding "a lot of people should be ashamed".

Trump has repeatedly complained about his treatment by federal investigators who are probing possible collusion between his campaign and Russia to sway the 2016 presidential election.

He said on Twitter: "The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans - something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago. Rank & File are great people!"

(Image: AFP)

The document has become a flashpoint in a battle between Republicans and Democrats over Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into alleged Russian collusion.

It was commissioned by the Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes.

It allegedly shows the FBI and Justice Department misled a US court in seeking to extend electronic surveillance of Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, multiple sources have claimed.

Earlier this month, in a rare public rebuke of the president and Republicans in Congress who are pushing to release the classified memo, the FBI said it had "grave concerns about material omissions of fact" in the document and it should not be made public.

Democrats have depicted the memo, which was crafted by Republican members of the intelligence panel, as misleading, based on a selective use of highly classified data and intended to discredit Mueller's work.

Russia has denied meddling in the election campaign.

Trump, calling Mueller's probe a political witch hunt, has denied collusion or obstruction of justice.