Donald Trump on Monday gave an order for declassification of a number of important documents in connection to the FBI probe of Russian meddling during the 2016 elections that include 21 pages of an application for a renewed surveillance warrant against former campaign aide Carter Page and several text messages from disgraced FBI figures Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, Fox News informed.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders stated that Trump gave the order for the release to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the Justice Department “[at] the request of a number of committees of Congress, and for reasons of transparency.”
The documents set for declassification contain all FBI reports on interviews with Justice Department official Bruce Ohr and all FBI reports of interviews related with all other requests for Carter Page’s surveillance.
Trump’s order also covered the release of text messages from several important figures in the Russia probe but with no redactions made. The list of people includes Ohr, Strzok, Lisa Page, former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
Carter Page told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday night that the FBI’s investigation was “so incredibly stupid to begin with.”
“My biggest concern is all the damage that this did to the U.S. government [and] the mockery it made out of the Constitution and all of the wrongdoing that was done by various officials within the Department of Justice, the FBI and the DNC [Democratic National Committee],” he added.
When or how would the documents would be released was not immediately known.
ODNI spokesperson Kellie Wade told Fox News: “As requested by the White House, the ODNI is working expeditiously with our interagency partners to conduct a declassification review of the documents the President has identified for declassification.”
Congressional sources told Fox News that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., does not know how soon he will get the documents, but said Trump’s order covers “pretty much everything that he wanted … and the text messages are a bonus.”
According to the sources, Nunes added: “Wow! This is a direct order.”
House Intelligence Committee ranking member Adam Schiff, D-Calif., called Trump’s decision “a clear abuse of power.”
Be the first to comment