Saturday, August 11, 2018

MICHAEL GOODWIN: Why it's time for Trump to play his ace in the hole.
[A] president has almost unlimited powers to declassify any document within the executive branch. It is a mystery why Trump has hesitated to use that power....

He could, in an instant, strike a blow for accountability and transparency by ordering the Justice Department to give Congress everything it wants, subject to very limited restrictions.

Embarrassment does not qualify as a reason for withholding information.
I've held DoD (and other) security clearances for about 55 years, with the last 30 or so at the highest levels in the intelligence community. I know - know - that any damage to national security that may be done by presidential declassification is transitory at worst. Unless you're a deep state bureaucrat, in which case it could be fatal to your career.

Not that I mind.

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