Trump orders declassification of all Russia, Clinton email scandal documents
Trump said he would no longer wait for agencies to release information.
Tired of perceived foot dragging by agencies like the CIA and FBI, President Trump has ordered the declassification of all documents from the Russia collusion and Hillary Clinton email scandals.
The president announced the dramatic decision in a tweet late Tuesday.
“I have fully authorized the total Declassification of any & all documents pertaining to the single greatest political CRIME in American History, the Russia Hoax. Likewise, the Hillary Clinton Email Scandal,” Trump tweeted. “No redactions!”
The announcement came hours after Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe declassified documents showing the CIA, based on intelligence gleaned from Russia, feared in 2016 that Hillary Clinton had authorized a campaign to “vilify” Trump by concocting a false story about Russia collusion that would distract from her own controversies.
Trump said his order was prompted by endless foot dragging by federal bureaucrats.
"All Russia Hoax Scandal information was Declassified by me long ago. Unfortunately for our Country, people have acted very slowly, especially since it is perhaps the biggest political crime in the history of our Country,” he tweeted.
The move to declassify rattled some in the U. S. intelligence community.
When former Trump acting DNI Ric Grenell tweeted praise about the most recent declassification, former CIA Director Mike Hayden, who served George W. Bush but now supports Joe Biden, called Grenell a lewd name.
“You’re an a**hole. Really,” Hayden snapped on Twitter.
Grenell fired right back: “I see you don’t like to be exposed. And so you resort to name calling. Transparency isn’t political.”