On Tuesday, President Trump issued an order authorizing the attorney general to provide classified information to the grand jury investigating the “Russia” scam. Previous Justice Department regulations required the consent of specific classified agencies. President Trump’s order was issued on the 22nd, and now Attorney General Barr will leave office on the 23rd. So this order is of particular interest.
The order says, “By virtue of the presidential powers vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, I hereby direct the following.
Section 1: Powers of the Attorney General. The Attorney General is currently conducting a review of campaign-related intelligence activities and certain related matters in the 2016 presidential election. on May 13, 2019, the Attorney General directed Mr. John Durham to conduct that review, which subsequently developed into a criminal investigation. on October 19, 2020, the Attorney General appointed Mr. Durham to conduct that investigation pursuant to the authority and independence granted to him by the Department of Justice’s Special Counsel regulations. investigation.
In a memorandum dated May 23, 2019, I directed the heads of all aspects of the intelligence community, as defined in 50 U.S.C. § 3003(4), and the head of each department or agency that includes the intelligence community, to assist the Attorney General in conducting that review and authorized the Attorney General to declassify, downgrade, or direct the declassification or downgrading of information or intelligence relevant to his review. In addition, the Attorney General is authorized to use classified information in circumstances he deems relevant to his review, including in grand jury or other proceedings.
Section II (omitted)
U.S. Attorney General William Barr, in October, appointed prosecutor John Durham as special counsel to continue the investigation into the Russia case.
Barr said Durham’s investigation has been narrowed to focus more on the conduct of FBI agents working on the Russia investigation, known as the Crossfire Hurricane.
Under federal regulations, only the attorney general can fire the special counsel, and the special counsel can be fired for specific reasons, such as misconduct, malfeasance or conflict of interest, which the attorney general must document in writing.
President Trump issued the order on the 22nd, and Barr, now the attorney general, will leave office on the 23rd. This order is therefore of particular interest.
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