>act like this was already in progress?
I see this and similar occurrences with Rudy and Sidney as indicators of compartmentalization of information. People are read-in on an aspect of the overall mission but do not have access to the timeline or chain of events. Rather than tie this op to a calendar it is tied to a flow of events. Due to discovery and ongoing investigations more events are added which alter the timing. Group 'A' may be ready to release de-classified information, for example, when a prosecutor requests a delay due to the need to present related info to a Grand Jury.
This is, of course, supposition from a humble anon.