AG given power to declassify data

Trump’s move in probe risks intelligence sources, critics warn

President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr shake hands during a Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor presentation ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, May 22, 2019.(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr shake hands during a Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor presentation ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, May 22, 2019.(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

WASHINGTON -- Intelligence professionals and Democrats warned on Friday that President Donald Trump's move to declassify material about the Russia investigation could endanger secret intelligence sources and allow his attorney general to paint a misleading picture about the roots of the probe.

Late Thursday, Trump granted Attorney General William Barr new powers to review and potentially release classified information related to the origins of the Russia investigation, a move aimed at accelerating Barr's inquiry into whether U.S. officials improperly surveilled Trump's 2016 campaign.

Trump also directed the U.S. intelligence community to "quickly and fully cooperate" with Barr's investigation of the origins of special counsel Robert Mueller's multiyear probe of whether his campaign colluded with Russia.

Former intelligence officials and Democratic leaders on congressional intelligence committees criticized Trump's decision.

David Kris, former head of the Justice Department's national security division, said it's "very unusual -- unprecedented in my experience -- for a non-intelligence officer to be given absolute declassification authority over the intelligence."

John McLaughlin, former deputy director of the CIA who served as acting director in 2004, tweeted: "Giving Barr declassification authority for this investigation is a really bad idea. The agencies can cooperate but must retain their legal responsibility for protecting sources. Congressional intelligence committees need to stand in the door on this one."

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said lawmakers still don't have the full Mueller report.

"So of course the president gives sweeping declassification powers to an attorney general who has already shown that he has no problem selectively releasing information in order to mislead the American people," Warner tweeted Friday.

California's Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House intelligence committee, called Trump's decision "un-American."

"While Trump stonewalls the public from learning the truth about his obstruction of justice, Trump and Barr conspire to weaponize law enforcement and classified information against their political enemies. The cover-up has entered a new and dangerous phase," Schiff tweeted.

Two of Trump's congressional allies, Reps. Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan, were seen by reporters Thursday at the Justice Department. In an interview, Meadows said he didn't speak to Barr while he was there, but was instead reviewing documents as part of ongoing probes into the Russia investigation. He was also at the White House on Thursday on budget matters.

Meadows said Trump's directive was the president "keeping his promise" for an open and transparent investigation.

Separately, Trump questioned on Friday why Democrats want Mueller to testify before Congress, a shift in posture from earlier this month when he said he would let Barr decide if Mueller should appear.

"I don't know why the Radical Left Democrats want Bob Mueller to testify when he just issued a 40 Million Dollar Report that states, loud & clear & for all to hear, No Collusion and No Obstruction (how do you Obstruct a NO crime?)," Trump said in a tweet. "Dems are just looking for trouble and a Do-Over!"

Asked at a White House event on May 9 if he would let Mueller testify, Trump said: "I'm going to leave that up to our very great attorney general." Barr has said that he has no objections to Mueller personally testifying.

Mueller has been in discussions with House Democrats about how much of his congressional testimony regarding his report would take place in public and how much would take place in private.

During a television appearance Thursday night, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said Mueller told him he is willing to make a public opening statement but wants to offer most of his testimony privately.

In his report, Mueller said his nearly two-year investigation identified numerous links between individuals with ties to the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump campaign. But he said the evidence was not sufficient to charge any member of the Trump campaign in connection with conspiring with representatives of the Russian government to interfere in the election.

Mueller made no decision about bringing charges against Trump related to possible obstruction of the investigation. He cited multiple instances of potential obstruction and wrote, "If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state."

Barr later decided not to pursue obstruction charges against Trump.

Information for this article was contributed by Zeke Miller, Eric Tucker, Mike Balsamo, Jonathan Lemire, Deb Riechmann, Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick of The Associated Press; and by John Wagner of The Washington Post.

A Section on 05/25/2019

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