Graham isn’t worried about letting Barr declassify intelligence information
Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham said Sunday he doesn’t see any threat to national security in President Donald Trump’s decision to allow Attorney General William Barr to declassify information from the Russia investigation.
“We’re not compromising national security here,” the South Carolina Republican said on “Fox News Sunday.” “We’re trying to create a system to make sure this never happens again.”
Last week, the White House announced: “The Attorney General has also been delegated full and complete authority to declassify information pertaining to this investigation, in accordance with the long-established standards for handling classified information. Today’s action will help ensure that all Americans learn the truth about the events that occurred, and the actions that were taken, during the last Presidential election and will restore confidence in our public institutions.”
Graham said that there are still questions that need answering, and giving Barr this power could help shed line on potential Russia influence during the 2016 presidential election.
“Did they have a lawful reason to surveil President Trump’s campaign? Did they lie to the [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance] court,” Graham asked. “Every American should want to find that out.”
Critics worry that Trump’s move sets a dangerous precedent that could undermine the core missions of the government‘s intelligence and investigative agencies — and thrust them into political disagreements. Graham did not agree.
“The people who are worried about this are worried about being exposed for taking the law in their own hands,” he said.
Graham also said that he wants all documentation surrounding the FISA warrant application to be released, so that officials and the public can better understand where the FBI’s Russia investigation originated.
“I think transparency is good for the American people,” he said. “Not one Democrat seems to care.”
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine