The FBI Is Quietly Asserting Its Independence From Trump
- Bureau to push redactions in Trump’s declassification order
- White House would have to order FBI probe of Kavanaugh claims
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The FBI is quietly asserting independence after President Donald Trump moved this week to pull the agency into two of the most heated political controversies of his tenure.
Agency officials aren’t assenting to Trump’s demand for “immediate declassification” of some materials related to the Russia investigation, and are likely to push for redactions, according to people with knowledge of the matter. At the same time, the FBI is willing to probe sexual assault allegations that have jeopardized Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court -- despite Trump’s claims otherwise -- but it can’t do so without a formal White House request.