FBI, DOJ said to seek redactions in items Trump wants public

Doing so may put agencies in conflict with president.

President Donald Trump seeks the “immediate declas- sification” of sensitive materials about the Russia investigation, but the agencies responsible are expected to propose redactions that would keep some informa- tion secret, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The Justice Department, FBI and Office of the Director of National Intelligence are going through a methodical review and can’t offer a timeline for finishing, said the people,who weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the sensitive matter.

The White House issued a statement Monday listing material that Trump wants declassified immediately, echoing demands of Repub- lican lawmakers who share his contention that the continuing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election was tainted by antiTrump bias well before Robert Mueller was named special counsel to run it.

Among Trump’s requests was the full public release of all text messages concerning the Russia probe by Justice Department official Bruce Ohr and by several former officials, including two who were fired: former FBI Direc- tor James Comey and his deputy, Andrew McCabe. One person described the order to release text messages as unprecedented, and another said additional talks will probably be held with the White House over the matter.

The Justice Department and FBI are expected to submit their documents and proposed redactions to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which will assemble all the material into a package and hand it over to the White House, according to the people.

While the agencies want to guard against revealing classified sources and methods about the ongoing Russia investigation, doing so could put them in direct conflict with Trump, who as president has the power to override the agencies and declassify material on his own.

Critics, including leading congressional Democrats, contend that Trump has crossed a line by ordering release of the documents in order to interfere with and undermine the Russia investigation in which he’s a key figure.

Trump took the rare step of ordering material released after a group of conservative House Republicans asked him to do so.

“When the president issues such an order, it triggers a declassification review process that is conducted by various agencies within the intelligence community, in conjunction with the White House counsel, to seek to ensure the safety of America’s national security interests,” a Justice Department spokesman said in a statement. “The department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are already working with the Director of National Intelligence to comply with the president’s order.”

Some of what Trump requested was well known to the Justice Department and FBI and was already under review for potential declassification.