Fox News legal analyst Andrew Napolitano warned that some of the documents President Trump decided on Monday to have declassified may not be seen by the public.
“Just because something is no longer classified doesn’t mean it’s public,” Napolitano said on air. He listed some examples of information that might preclude the American people from viewing it, including if it was “presented to a grand jury, if it shows the government’s impressions of how to approach a criminal case, if it’s about an ongoing criminal investigation that’s still going on, if it would reveal the identity or methods involvement of confidential sources.”
Among the documents Trump directed to be declassified were those pertaining to the federal Russia investigation, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act process for obtaining spy authority against former Trump campaign aide Carter Page, and text messages from current and former officials who have been critics of Trump, including ex-FBI Director James Comey.
In a statement Monday evening, the Justice Department suggested that the declassification effort, which will involve multiple agencies, will take some time.
“When the President issues such an order, it triggers a declassification review process that is conducted by various agencies within the intelligence community, in conjunction with the White House Counsel, to seek to ensure the safety of America’s national security interests. The Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are already working with the Director of National Intelligence to comply with the President’s order,” a DOJ spokeperson said.
Appearing before Napolitano in the segment, Fox News chief intelligence correspondent Catherine Herridge said a source told her documents related to the Page warrant application and FBI interviews with DOJ official Bruce Ohr will come out first, possibly within days or sooner. The text messages would come later due to their large number.
