Critics: Barr will reveal Russia probe info to help Trump
Washington — Intelligence professionals warned Friday that President Donald Trump’s decision to give his attorney general carte blanche to disclose still-secret material from the Russia investigation will let William Barr cherry-pick intelligence to paint a misleading picture about what started the probe.
The president claims his campaign was spied upon, though Trump administration officials have said they have no specific evidence that anything illegal was done when the campaign came under FBI surveillance that was approved by a court.
On Thursday, Trump gave Barr full authority to publicly disclose information about the origins of the investigation the president has repeatedly dismissed as a “hoax.”
“You have to get down to what happened because what happened is a tremendous blight on our country,” Trump said, adding that Barr is highly respected and will be impartial.
But Trump’s critics are wary of leaving the decision of what intelligence to release — and what should remain hidden — in Barr’s hands. Barr is a staunch Trump defender who Democrats say spun special counsel Robert Mueller’s report in Trump’s favor, playing down aspects suggesting possible criminal conduct. Mueller has also complained to Barr about his handling of the release of the report.
That has prompted concern that Barr will take a similar approach to his review of the origins of Mueller’s probe, releasing intelligence backing Trump’s claims that it was politically motivated, while keeping classified evidence demonstrating the need for the probe.
Barr has already said he believes “spying did occur” on the Trump campaign, but he also made clear at a Senate hearing that any surveillance wasn’t necessarily illegal or improper.
Barr has asked the U.S. attorney in Connecticut to examine the origins of the Russia investigation to find out if intelligence and surveillance methods used were lawful and appropriate.
Intelligence experts claim Trump is trying to do an end-run around U.S. spy agencies. They say having someone outside the intelligence community deciding what can be released jeopardizes sources and undercuts America’s partnership with spy agencies in friendly nations.