The American news media need a collective neck brace to halt the self-inflicted whiplash now endemic among journalists following President Trump’s order to declassify materials related to “surveillance activities during the 2016 Presidential election.” Fresh off the heels of demanding that Attorney General William Barr release a fully-unredacted Mueller report, including grand jury proceedings and all underlying evidence, news organizations are freaking out that Barr might release classified information that will expose the corrupt FBI counterintelligence probe into Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
“Barr could expose secrets, politicize intelligence with review of Russia probe, current and former officials fear,” blared a May 24 headline in the Washington Post. Reporter Shane Harris quoted “current and former U.S. officials” who fretted that Barr’s actions could damage the reputation of the FBI (LOL) or be used as political weaponry to exact revenge on Trump’s foes. (One of Harris’ quoted sources is Comey’s former general counsel James Baker, who currently is under criminal investigation for…wait for it…leaking classified information to the media. NO, I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP.)
Harris also is concerned that Barr will out intelligence sources, perhaps endangering their lives and national security.
All of this outrage is particularly ironic coming from the Post, the newspaper responsible for reporting two damaging leaks of classified information in 2017: The disclosure of details from an intercepted call between former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, and the FISA order against Trump campaign aide Carter Page. Way back when, in early 2017, the Post did not object to government officials revealing classified information as long as it helped advance the phony narrative that Trump and his people were in the tank for Vladimir Putin and his election was illegitimate.
On February 9, 2017, the Post reported government secrets tattled by NINE former and current government officials to dispute Flynn’s public claims that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian diplomat. The Obama lackeys who leaked the dirt on Flynn “were in senior positions at multiple agencies at the time of the calls, [and] spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.” The Post‘s reporting led to Flynn’s resignation days later.
On April 11, 2017, the Post reported on the FISA warrant against Carter Page. The secret court had approved a request by Comey’s FBI in October 2016 to spy on Page. “Officials spoke about the court order on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details of a counterintelligence probe.”
So, unlike Trump, and now Barr, who have the legal authority to declassify any government document, these officials did not. In fact, the disclosure of classified information is a felony punishable up to ten years in prison.
But back in 2017, no one at the Post was offended by felonious leaks of classified information: All that mattered was the destruction of Donald Trump and anyone in his orbit. Consequently, lives were irrevocably damaged and the country overall paid a hefty price.
Now they have a conscience? Nah.