The president’s move gives Barr broad powers to unveil carefully guarded intelligence secrets about the Russia investigation, which the attorney general requested to allow him to quickly carry out his review, according to the memo. Meadows said he discussed with the president how granting Barr this authority would provide answers about whether the investigation was biased. His order gives Barr significant authority over agencies that typically hold their secrets close and don’t declassify them easily. While the memo states Barr should consult with the head of an agency before declassifying its secrets, it also demands that Barr get prompt responses and documents from the intelligence community. Barr has said “spying” was conducted by the government against the Trump campaign — an accusation Trump has leveled repeatedly but that current and former FBI officials have denied.

Source: Washington Post May 24, 2019 01:32 UTC