According to Bloomberg News, the Department of Justice, FBI and Office of the Director of National Intelligence will defy an order by President Trump calling for the “immediate declassification” of materials about the Russia investigation by proposing redactions that would keep information secret.
The White House issued a statement on Monday listing material that Trump wants declassified immediately, echoing demands of Republican lawmakers who share his contention that the continuing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election was tainted by anti-Trump bias well before Robert Mueller was named special counsel to run it.
Among Trump’s demands was the full public release of all text messages concerning the Russia probe by Justice Department official Bruce Ohr and by several former officials, including two who were fired — former FBI Director James Comey and his deputy, Andrew McCabe. One person described the order to release text messages as unprecedented, and another said additional talks will probably be held with the White House over the matter.
The Justice Department and FBI are expected to submit their documents and proposed redactions to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which will assemble all the material into a package and hand it over to the White House, according to the people.
While the agencies want to guard against revealing classified sources and methods about the ongoing Russia investigation, doing so could put them in direct conflict with Trump, who as president has the power to override the agencies and declassify material on his own.
It’s too early to say if any officials would resign in protest should Trump do that, one person said. Trump could ask the agencies to go back and scrub the redacted material further.
Critics, including leading congressional Democrats, contend that Trump has crossed a line by ordering release of the documents in order to interfere with and undermine the Russia investigation in which he’s a key figure.
“President Trump, in a clear abuse of power, has decided to intervene in a pending law enforcement investigation by ordering the selective release of materials he believes are helpful to his defense team and thinks will advance a false narrative,” Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement on Monday.
All of this is surely to the delight of some Democrats who have called for these agencies to outright defy presidental order.
Showdown? In letter, Pelosi/Schumer/Schiff/Warner order intel agencies to ignore presidential order on declassification until consulting with Congress. https://t.co/x7JDUJd4t0 pic.twitter.com/o64PC7EEFQ
— Byron York (@ByronYork) 19 de septiembre de 2018
Constitutional crisis? Pelosi, Schumer, Schiff and Warner order DOJ/FBI to defy President Trump! https://t.co/4ZcQeMinmT
— Will Chamberlain ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@willchamberlain) September 19, 2018
Was Trump’s request a trap?
Source: Bloomberg
Source
I’m so sick of the obstruction that the Democrats continue to inflict on us and our President. They no longer hold the majority, so they can not speak for the majority of the House and Senate. If President Trump has the authority to release this information, it should be released an no “Agency” has the authority to overrule a President command. These Agency people are not elected by the voters and they serve the President, not the other way around. Release the information as instructed by the President and don’t waste time dragging your feet trying to protect a bunch of traitors.