Trump gives attorney general Barr sweeping power to declassify intelligence in Russia probe review

[Stonepounder]

Source: ABC News

President Donald Trump has given Attorney General William Barr sweeping powers over the intelligence community in his review of their role in how the probe began into Russian interference in the 2016 election and surveillance on the Trump campaign.

In an extraordinary move, the president issued a memo Thursday night giving Barr broad authority to declassify information related to the investigation and directed the intelligence community to fully cooperate with Barr's review so that "all Americans learn the truth," according to a statement from White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.

"The Attorney General has also been delegated full and complete authority to declassify information pertaining to this investigation, in accordance with the long-established standards for handling classified information," according to the statement.

"Today’s action will help ensure that all Americans learn the truth about the events that occurred, and the actions that were taken, during the last Presidential election and will restore confidence in our public institutions," she said.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-directs-intelligence-community-cooperate-attorney-general-investigation/story?id=63244302

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Well, that's the end of the 5-eyes intelligence community. It's now the 4-eyes and we're not one of them. We are now one of the countries the 4-eyes are watching.

[dchill]

1. "declassify" equals "politically weaponize."

[turbinetree]

2. So now the original investigation will be a do over by this traitor and his enabling POS

Federalist Society AG, confirmed by another corrupt senator from Kentucky ( the Turtle, with help from lackey's in the federal attorney's in Utah and Connecticut) to make it look like he was framed.................................and when is the media going to ask this asshole, are you a dictator wanna be, who is your idol.............................................

[abqtommy]

3. Of course every word of every report issued by Smug Thug Barr

will be Lies, all Lies!

[muntrv]

4. Intelligence community needs to punch back.

[DallasNE]

5. You Can Be Sure

That an abundance of leaks will occur that directly contradict what Barr claims. So, then what? This has lose-lose written all over it. Especially with Barr heading it up.

[TommyCelt]

6. Our America is being unwound...

...right before our eyes. We're witnessing it in real time.

[FiveGoodMen]

7. Next time someone tells me that the office of President doesn't really have that much power

I'm going to punch them.

[iluvtennis]

8. declassifying it so it can be given to Putin/Russian intellignece agencies so they can determine

where there holes are and plug them for next time. I so despise this admnistration. What a bunch of cretins.

[MFGsunny]

9. We are in CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER territory. Impeach DIS-Barr AND TerribleTwosToddler. n/t

[Glimmer of Hope]

10. Help us! Anyone?

[FiveGoodMen]

11. Maybe the Democratic Party will oppose them

Maybe

[machoneman]

12. What makes you think the agencies will comply with a Russkie agent and traitor?

One can bet the CIA, NSA and others will hide all the relevant stuff from Barr for all the reason the should, like the agreements they have with foreign agencies to keep secrets, secret!

[Progressive Jones]

13. The biggest problem here will be neutralizing the AG.

[Politicub]

14. Be careful what you ask for

First, according to Trump logic, if you want to commit crimes, run for president. It somehow makes you immune to laws put in place to ferret out people trying to harm the United States.

Second, I doubt there was any kind of surveillance going on. If there was, there was for a reason. Trump was, wrongly, seen as a joke. He wasn't worth surveillance.

But if he was, the reason he was being watched will come out along with the declassified intelligence.

And, he thinks it's going to earn him more support, apparently. Trump has peaked and is in decline. There is nothing he can do at this point to increase his favorability rating.

While the Trump ship slowly sinks the right is working overtime to stuff the government with people with intent to remake it as an authoritarian paradise. This is a bigger issue, IMHO. This intelligence dump will keep the right busy masturbating over it. Everyone else will continue to resist the Trump administration at each and every turn.

We have the house. That's important. The GOP can not legislatively do on a federal level what they did in NC and WI by changing the rules to favor the GOP as they were being swept out of office.

[Jarqui]

15. Can Obama curtail any of this with executive privilege?

(he might not want to because of how it could look ...)
I just wondered if it was an option legally