Acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Richard Grenell revealed Friday that he has begun the declassification process for the transcripts and intelligence reports related to former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
Grenell explained on Twitter that the Intelligence Community has not been been able to declassify the material because it wasn’t their product.
“It’s odd that @AdamSchiff doesn’t know this,” he wrote. “But I already started the declassification for the few we received. They should be released in full, though. The public deserves to see it.”
https://twitter.com/RichardGrenell/status/1263856362133520385?s=20
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) tweeted in response that he didn’t trust Grenell or the new DNI John Ratcliffe, who was confirmed in the Senate on Thursday. “They’re the ones with shovels burying evidence to protect @realDonaldTrump,” he tweeted.
Grenell tweeted in response: “I’m letting the public see more info. You are the one who worked to hide the information you didn’t like. You listened to multiple people in classified hearings say they had no evidence and yet go on TV and say the opposite. Transparency is now a must!”
https://twitter.com/RichardGrenell/status/1263863419071090691?s=20
Swalwell taunted Grenell some more on Twitter, writing, “If you have nothing to hide, why don’t you release Flynn’s call with Russia? #ShowUsTheTape.”
“Those are coming,” Grenell replied. “It’s very important for the public to see ALL of them. For too long the public has been misled. Just compare your committee’s transcripts to your public statements.”
https://twitter.com/RichardGrenell/status/1263868925630185474?s=20
Grenell was referring to the misleading statements Democrats on the committee had made about the Trump Campaign colluding with the Russians after multiple Obama officials told them in private testimony that they had seen no evidence of collusion.
Democrats in recent days have been following former Obama administration national security adviser Susan Rice’s lead in calling for the Trump administration to release the Flynn/Kislyak transcripts.
“In the interest of transparency, Ambassador Rice again calls upon the Director of National Intelligence to release the unredacted transcripts of all Kislyak-Flynn calls,” spokeswoman Erin Pelton said in a statement Tuesday on behalf of Rice. “The American people deserve the full transcripts so they can judge for themselves Michael Flynn’s conduct.”
In his interview with CBS reporter Catherine Herridge on May 8, Attorney General William Barr said that there was “nothing wrong with the call.”
Frustrated with the media’s lack of interest in the ObamaGate spy scandal, White House Press Sec. Kayleigh McEnany concluded the White House daily briefing Friday with a series of questions for the press.
.@PressSec Ends Press Briefing Calling Out The Media For Ignoring Michael Flynn Unmasking
"Did anyone take it upon themselves to pose any questions about Michael Flynn & unmasking to President Obama's spokesperson? Oh, not a single journalist has posed that question." pic.twitter.com/RjOxsIL4Ml
— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) May 22, 2020
FBI Director Christopher Wray meanwhile has finally ordered an internal review into the alleged misconduct in the Flynn investigation.
The review will examine whether any employees engaged in misconduct during the course of the investigation and evaluate whether any improvements need to be made.
#FLYNN FBI launches after action review by inspection division (internal affairs) that will “complement the already substantial assistance the FBI has been providing to U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen (including)..special agents to assist..in the fact-finding process.”@CBSNews pic.twitter.com/oqH8rPNnAN
— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) May 22, 2020
Former Texas congressman John Ratcliffe will be sworn in as the new DNI on Tuesday and Grenell will return to his post as Ambassador to Germany.