President Trump this week gave Attorney General William Barr new authorities to examine and possibly release classified material related to the Justice Department’s inquiry into the origins of the Russia investigation.
The move is widely perceived as an effort by Trump to ramp up his administration’s probe of surveillance directed at members of his 2016 campaign. The president and his allies have suggested that federal agents biased against him improperly initiated the investigation into Russia’s election interference.
Barr said last month he would examine the “genesis and conduct” of the Russia probe, adding that he believed the Trump campaign was “spied” on and wanted to ensure it was “adequately predicated.” Those remarks drew fire from Democrats, who accused him of advancing a conspiracy theory.
View the complete May 25 article by Morgan Chalfant on The Hill website here.