Potential Clash Over Secrets Looms Between Justice Dept. and C.I.A.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s order allowing Attorney General William P. Barr to declassify any intelligence that led to the Russia investigation sets up a potential confrontation with the C.I.A. It effectively strips the agency of its most critical power: choosing which secrets it shares and which ones remain hidden.

Mr. Trump said on Friday that he wanted Mr. Barr to “get to the bottom” of what the intelligence agencies knew about the investigation into his campaign. He promised, “We’re exposing everything.”

The president raised questions about C.I.A. involvement in the origins of the Russia investigation, and other officials said Mr. Barr wanted to learn more about sources in Russia, including a key informant who helped the C.I.A. conclude that President Vladimir V. Putin ordered the intrusion on the 2016 election. Mr. Trump also invoked two close allies, Australia and Britain, telling reporters he wanted the attorney general to examine their roles in sharing intelligence about Russia’s interference.

The declassification order served as Mr. Trump’s counterpunch to the special counsel’s investigation. Since the release of the Mueller report, the president has been trying to focus attention on his accusations that the F.B.I. and intelligence agencies spied on his campaign. The new order, former officials said, could be intended to give more ammunition to that effort.

The intelligence agencies signaled on Friday that they would not easily give up their secrets. Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, pledged to cooperate with the review but also warned that the secrets of the intelligence community, or I.C., must be protected.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/potential-clash-over-secrets-looms-between-justice-dept-and-cia/ar-AABRnEn?li=BBnbcA1

So Trump's going to throw our allies under the bus as well.

[DURHAM D]

1. Picking a fight with the spooks is never a good idea.

Good luck to the spooks.

[AJT]

3. We've heen saying that for a couple of years.....yet

the IC has done nothing to stop 45.

[Nay]

9. Thank you. The IC has had plenty of time to push back on this monster, but seems

to be giving it all a pass. Maybe this threat to their very existence and effectiveness will jolt them out of their stupor, but who the fuck knows.

[Skraxx]

10. You have no idea what they've been doing, by design

Hopefully Trump et al also have no idea. I can’t imagine they’ve been doing nothing. Obama almost certainly set set things in motion before he left that would necessarily be completely compartmentalized, and one hopes, remains so.

Remember, we know for sure there was a DOJ counter intel op that we still have learned nothing about and may be ongoing. I imagine a slew of other agencies have their own compartmentalized activities as well.

[Nay]

13. Of course I don't. We all can only look at results, and hope that there is actually

something in the works that will put a stop to this madness. My greatest fear is that the IC has enough nazi types in it that their 'results' will be a similar, or an unforeseen, horror that dismays us all even more.

[Iliyah]

2. Plus .. . by law the President cannot order that.

This will not end well.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

6. Can you elaborate on "by law, the president cannot order that" for me ?

Despite being retired military and having worked for the feds, I am not clear on the inter-mechinations of how something like this would work, and it terrifies me to think that trumpie the traitor could jeopardize not only our intel agencies and their sources, but how he could undermine our working relationships with allies and their intel agencies.

Adam Schiff said it best, when he said that trump "seems intent on declassifying intel to weaponize it."

Thank you.

[Mme. Defarge]

7. Same question

pour moi.

[real Cannabis calm]

11. Here's the "law" that concerns Trump: OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE

[cynatnite]

4. tRump may have to fire Coats to get a "yes man" to turn over the secrets to Barr. n/t

[The Blue Flower]

5. Putin sure got his money's worth

nt

[no_hypocrisy]

8. Don't kid yourselves. There are certain individuals in the CIA

who will literally hide information from their superiors and hence, the DOJ, for the protection of their country -- and/or their asses.

[jalan48]

12. Another litmus test for the Legislative Branch. Trump is attempting to weaponize the CIA and

use it against the political opposition by expanding the authority of the Executive Branch of government.

[AJT]

14. It's also a test for our intelligence agencies.

I hope there are people in the CIA etc. that aren't right wingers who would like to see authoritarian rule. It seems to me that secretive enforcement agencies would attract a lot of authoritarian types.

[jalan48]

15. My guess is that most are like Mueller at best-follow the chain of command folks.