President Donald Trump has delayed his order to declassify documents related the the FBI’s surveillance of former campaign adviser Carter Page, and asked the Department of Justice to review the documents first.
Trump said on Friday that he met with the Department of Justice, who felt that releasing the documents could have a perceived negative impact on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing ‘Russiagate’ probe, and has received calls from allies asking that the documents not be released, due to their sensitive intelligence content.
I met with the DOJ concerning the declassification of various UNREDACTED documents. They agreed to release them but stated that so doing may have a perceived negative impact on the Russia probe. Also, key Allies’ called to ask not to release. Therefore, the Inspector General…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 21, 2018
….has been asked to review these documents on an expedited basis. I believe he will move quickly on this (and hopefully other things which he is looking at). In the end I can always declassify if it proves necessary. Speed is very important to me – and everyone!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 21, 2018
The president said that he expects the Department’s Inspector General to “move quickly” on reviewing the documents, and warned that regardless of what the DOJ says, he “can always declassify if it proves necessary.”
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Trump’s original order to declassify – issued Monday – instructed the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the Department of Justice – including the FBI – to immediately declassify…