'No smoking gun': Republican who has seen Nunes' controversial memo blows up GOP's talking points

Appearing on MSNBC on Tuesday afternoon, Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC) admitted he has seen the memo prepared by House intel head Devin Nunes (R-CA) before downplaying conservative expectations that it will be a game-changer, saying there is no "smoking gun" revealed in the four-page document.

Speaking with host Craig Melvin, the former South Carolina governor admitted that he is not on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and so has not seen all of the documents, including the entire 40-page FISA filing.

"Congressman Sanford, my understanding is you read the memo," Melvin began. "On the scale of 'FBI secret societies' and 'Watergate,' where does this memo sit?"

"I've said all along there's not the smoking gun that a lot of people believe that there may be," Sanford immediately confessed. "I think that there's very damaging information there that sets real alarm bells in terms of how we gather intelligence as to whether or not the intel that we gather is politicized. I mean, I think there's some big questions that need to be answered."

"I mean, you're in the press you believe in the importance of getting information out there, so the people can make their own determinations. So I think this think that this is," he continued, pausing for the right word," ---- it's important. It's big enough that people ought to decide. They ought to see it and make their own --."

"But are you confident that the information that was used to write this memo, that this information is sound?" Melvin cut in.

"Again, I know what I know," Sanford replied, ducking the question. "I'm not on the intel committee either. But, again, that's why I think it's important. We're going through the exact same process we went through on the Republican memo. First release it to members and let the members go down and look at it. They'll take another vote and they can release the Democratic memo as well. If you want to view these things in entirely partisan terms, let's treat the process the same way both times. That's all it's about."

You can watch the video below via MSNBC: