FBI/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/RUSSIA INVESTIGATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Friday [9-21-18] abandoned plans to quickly declassify and release sensitive documents connected to the FBI’s Russia investigation, citing a ‘perceived negative impact’ on the probe and concerns raised by ‘key allies’ about dumping the materials. Trump instead announced that he would defer to a Justice Department watchdog — Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who he once derided as an ‘Obama guy’ — to finish a review of whether anti-Trump bias affected the FBI’s handling of its 2016 Russia probe…Trump had sought the release of classified portions of a surveillance warrant application used to track former campaign adviser Carter Page. He also said he wanted to publish the interview notes of a top Justice Department official and the text messages sent by former FBI Director James Comey and other senior bureau officials. The FBI’s early investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties with Russia eventually led to special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into whether Trump’s aides assisted Moscow in its efforts to influence the 2016 election.”
–Kyle Cheney, “Trump ditches plans to quickly release Russia probe documents,” Politico, September 21, 2018 12:46 pm