Barr won't turn over classified material, key GOP lawmaker says

A key Republican lawmaker said Democrats demanding the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's entire report will be disappointed by Attorney General William Barr. "I know that the Democrats are saying we want everything, but the law doesn't provide for that. In fact, it says the opposite," Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, said Sunday morning during an interview on Fox News. "And I very much doubt that Bill Barr is going to turn over classified material or material subject to executive privilege or, most importantly, grand jury testimonies that Bob Mueller has received that did not result in charges against anyone." Citing the "longstanding policy" of the Justice Department, Ratcliffe noted former FBI Director James Comey strayed of course in his handling of the Hillary Clinton emails investigation "that got him fired and had Democrats complaining back then." "Bill Barr is not going to repeat those mistakes, so he'll be as transparent as the law will allow and as the regulations provide, and the Democrats should respect that," Ratcliffe added.

Ratcliffe is a member of both the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committee and is a former federal prosecutor. He is also one of the few lawmakers to see some of the most sensitive documents behind the Russia investigation and was involved in a task force last year seeking out potential bias within the Justice Department and FBI. His prediction bodes ill for Democrats, who are demanding the full release of Mueller's report. On CNN, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., vowed to take issue subpoenas and take the fight all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary. Ratcliffe's insight could also be frustrating for fellow Republicans who want to take transparency a step further, including the release of the scope memo for the Russia investigation and related documents. Ratcliffe also told "Sunday Morning Futures" anchor Maria Bartiromo that he expects Barr to provide Congress with the special counsel’s “principal conclusions” within the next couple hours. Both Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein were spotted at the Justice Department late Sunday morning. Meanwhile, President Trump is in Florida this weekend, and according to White House spokesman Hogan Gidley, the White House has not yet received or been briefed on the Mueller report.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/barr-wont-turn-over-classified-material-key-gop-lawmaker-says

UK Coup Erupts: Theresa May Cabinet In Revolt, Plotting Her Imminent Overthrow

Theresa May may have days, if not hours, left as prime minister of the UK following a full-blown cabinet coup on Saturday night as senior ministers moved to oust the UK prime minister and replace her with her deputy, David Lidington. According to the Sunday Times, following a "frantic series of private telephone calls", senior ministers agreed the prime minister must announce she is standing down, warning that she has become a toxic and “erratic” figure whose judgment has "gone haywire." The plotters reportedly plan to confront May at a cabinet meeting on Sunday and demand that she announces she is quitting. If she refuses, they will threaten mass resignations or publicly demand her head. The "conspirators" were locked in talks late on Saturday to try reach a consensus deal on a new prime minister so there does not have to be a protracted leadership contest.

The Sunday Times, which reported that up to 11 cabinet minister confirmed they wanted the prime minister to make way for someone else, said that at six senior ministers want her deputy, David Lidington, to deliver Brexit and then make way for a full leadership contest in the autumn. Lidington’s supporters include cabinet remainers Greg Clark, Amber Rudd and David Gauke. The chancellor, Philip Hammond, also believes Lidington should take over if May refuses this week to seek a new consensus deal on Brexit. Sajid Javid, has agreed to put his own leadership ambitions on hold until the autumn to clear the way for Lidington — as long as his main rivals do the same. The relatively unfamiliar - especially outside the UK - Lidington "is understood not to be pressing for the top job but is prepared to take over if that is the will of cabinet. He would agree not to stand in the contest to find a permanent leader." A cabinet source said: “David’s job would be to secure an extension with the EU, find a consensus for a new Brexit policy and then arrange an orderly transition to a new leader.” Lidington’s friends want him to pledge to allow the cabinet to decide Brexit policy in order to get Hunt and Gove on board, urging the three cabinet heavyweights to work together to take control of the government.

Michael Gove, a leading Brexiteer in the 2016 referendum, and Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt also have some support. Hunt, the foreign secretary, does not support Lidington because he believes he would do a deal with Labour to take Britain into a permanent customs union with the EU, although he has lost confidence in May’s ability to take advice or deliver the deal. Meanwhile environment secretary Gove has a leadership team in place and a raft of supporters who have been recruited in a series of secret dinners hosted by Mel Stride, the Treasury minister. Gove is said to be ready to support Lidington if others do but is sceptical that agreement will be reached.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-03-23/uk-coup-erupts-theresa-may-cabinet-revolt-plotting-her-imminent-overthrow

>>5862989

Agreed, The only reason this wasn't followed in the past administrations, was because they had to make sure they looked like they had clean hands. That said the only government official who can authorize classified material out in the open is POTUS.

Nadler: Trump can’t use executive privilege to ‘hide wrongdoing’ in Mueller report

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said Sunday special counsel Robert Mueller’s report is off limits to executive privilege. “The president must personally assert executive privilege and I do not believe it exists here at all,” Nadler told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “As we learned from the Nixon tapes cases, executive privilege cannot hide — cannot be used to hide wrongdoing,” he said. “In that case, the Supreme Court … ordered that all the claims of executive privilege be overridden and the tapes be public. I mean, the president may try to assert it, may try to hide things behind it. But I don’t think that’s right or [will] be successful.”

The 1974 United States v. Nixon case determined former President Richard Nixon must hand over tape recordings and other subpoenaed materials relating to meetings between the president and those indicted by a grand jury in the Watergate scandal. Eight Supreme Court justices, the ninth had recused himself, ruled that materials subpoenaed in a criminal trial could not be claimed under executive privilege solely in the interest of confidentiality.

Mueller submitted his final report on the Russia investigation to Attorney General William Barr on Friday. Barr previously vowed to be as transparent as the law allows, but did not commit to releasing the entire report. President Trump has said he does not mind if Mueller’s report is released to the public, but has also repeatedly criticized the investigation. Deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley told reporters Sunday that Trump and the White House have not received Mueller’s report or been briefed on it.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/nadler-trump-cant-use-executive-privilege-to-hide-wrongdoing-in-mueller-report