AG William Barr given power to declassify documents on surveillance activities into Trump campaign

President Trump has given Attorney General William Barr "full and complete authority to declassify information" related to the origins of the federal investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. The move is the strongest sign yet that Trump is taking serious action to "investigate the investigators" and has found a willing champion in Barr, who rankled Democrats last month when he said "spying did occur" on the Trump campaign. The White House issued a memorandum to the heads of several agencies Thursday instructing them to cooperate with Barr's inquiry, including the Central Intelligence Agency, the Defense Department, the State Department, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Treasury Department, the Homeland Security Department, and the Energy Department.

"Today, at the request and recommendation of the Attorney General of the United States, President Donald J. Trump directed the intelligence community to quickly and fully cooperate with the Attorney General’s investigation into surveillance activities during the 2016 Presidential election," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. "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," she added. "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." The inquiry could provide clarity to questions GOP investigators have been eager to answer for more than a year, including whether the FBI's counterintelligence investigation began earlier than July 2016; the scope of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation; the full extent of the FBI's use of British ex-spy Christopher Steele's unverified dossier containing salacious claims about Trump's ties to Russia by various agencies; what role, if any, foreign intelligence agencies played; who pushed for the dossier to be included in the intelligence community assessment on Russian election interference; the full extent of the use of spies or confidential informants against the Trump campaign; and matters related to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

While much of this information may one day be released to the public, the memorandum from the White House suggests some of it will remain concealed in accordance with established policy on handling classified national security information. "With respect to any matter classified under Executive Order 13526 of December 29, 2009 (Classified National Security Information), the Attorney General may, by applying the standard set forth in either section 3.1(a) or section 3.1(d) of Executive Order 13526, declassify, downgrade, or direct the declassification or downgrading of information or intelligence that relates to the Attorney General's review referred to in section 1 of this memorandum," the memo said. "Before exercising this authority, the Attorney General should, to the extent he deems it practicable, consult with the head of the originating intelligence community element or department. This authority is not delegable and applies notwithstanding any other authorization or limitation set forth in Executive Order 13526."

Trump's decision was panned by David Laufman, who was chief of the Justice Department's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section when the Trump-Russia investigation was launched. In a statement to MSNBC he called it "a grotesque abuse of the intelligence community to further his goal of political retribution, made worse by the spectacle of the Justice Department as his handmaiden." House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., called the move part of a "plot to dirty up the intelligence community, to pretend that there's something wrong with the beginning of the Mueller investigation and to persecute and bring into line the intelligence agencies." House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., called the move part of a "plot to dirty up the intelligence community, to pretend that there's something wrong with the beginning of the Mueller investigation and to persecute and bring into line the intelligence agencies."

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/ag-william-barr-given-power-to-declassify-documents-on-surveillance-activities-into-trump-campaign

Twitter permanently bans Trump antagonists Krassenstein brothers

The Krassenstein brothers, famous for trolling President Trump on Twitter, were banned from the platform Thursday. “The Twitter Rules to apply to everyone. Operating multiple fake accounts and purchasing account interactions are strictly prohibited. Engaging in these behaviors will result in permanent suspension from the service,” a Twitter spokesperson told the Washington Examiner.

Ed and Brian Krassenstein, who had 926,000 and 698,000 followers respectively, were known for their quick replies to Trump’s tweets, attacking him and promoting themselves. The brothers responded to Twitter’s claim that they broke the rules to magnify their profiles on the platform and boost content. “Twitter claims that we manipulated our interactions through the purchase of fake accounts and fake interactions. We have never once acquired anything for the purpose of increasing our Twitter presence,” the brothers said in a statement Thursday. “In fact, we avoided using any platforms residing outside of Twitter’s own technology to manage our accounts for fear we would be accused of using automated tools, which we have avoided since launching our accounts.”

The pair admitted to operating secondary accounts, but said it was for business purposes and to monitor threats against themselves. They said they were confident Twitter would conclude the suspension was given wrongfully. In 2016, federal agents seized almost a half-million dollars of assets from the brothers, saying there was “reasonable cause” that the two had committed online financial scams. The brothers were never charged after the government decided forfeiting alleged criminal assets related to the scam was enough. In 2018, the brothers released a children’s book titled How the People Trumped Ronald Plump. The description which claimed to have “any politically-minded reader rolling,” ends with a depiction of a shirtless special counsel Robert Mueller staring into the future.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/twitter-permanently-bans-trump-antagonists-krassenstein-brothers

Jerry Nadler: Robert Mueller wants to testify in private

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said he wants special counsel Robert Mueller to testify. But Mueller only wants to testify in private. “We want him to come in and testify,” Nadler said Thursday in an MSNBC interview. “Mueller, I think I can say at this point, that he wants to testify in private.” When pressed on why Mueller doesn't want to speak publicly, Nadler said, “I don't know why.” Nadler later said he was speculating but guessed that Mueller did not want to be part of a political spectacle.

Mueller's lengthy report on his team's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election was released with redactions, but congressional Democrats are pushing the Justice Department for full access. The special counsel’s office has indicated that Mueller does not want to appear political by testifying. Nadler formally summoned Mueller to testify "no later than May 23,” but has delayed the move, likely until sometime in June. Attorney General William Barr said last week, “It’s Bob’s call whether he wants to testify.”

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/jerry-nadler-robert-mueller-wants-to-testify-in-private