DOJ: Trump's 'total declassification' of Russiagate docs has no effect
DOJ attorneys told a judge that the White House Counsel's Office effectively told DOJ to disregard Trump's tweets on the matter.
By Kyle Cheney, Politico, Oct. 13, 2020
What happened: When Donald Trump tweeted last week that he authorized the "total declassification of any & all documents" related to the long-running Russia investigation and Hillary Clinton's emails — "No redactions!" he tweeted — he really didn't mean it, the Justice Department argued in court Tuesday.
DOJ attorneys told a judge that the White House Counsel's Office effectively told DOJ to disregard Trump's tweets on the matter. They weren't accompanied by an actual declassification order, and DOJ will proceed as though the tweets hadn't occurred, continuing to redact and release documents at its discretion.
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