Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) stumped Trump officials at a hearing by asking if the leaked text chain can be published in full since the Trump administration claims they weren’t classified.
The political media world was stunned Monday when Jeffrey Goldberg dropped a blockbuster report that revealed he was (apparently inadvertently) included in a text chain in which the Principals Committee discussed plans to strike Houthi rebels in Yemen — strikes that shortly came to pass.
Among the Trump administration’s responses has been the claim that the information on the texts was not classified.
The Senate Intelligence Committee held a hearing Tuesday, with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, FBI Director Kash Patel, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe in the hot seat.
Reed was among several Democrats who tried to corner the trio into admitting that there actually was classified information, which would be consistent with Goldberg’s description.
Both Ratcliffe and Patel dodged when Reed put them on the spot by asking if Goldberg could release the messages without fear of liability based on their claims:
SEN. JACK REED: If you are not aware of any classified information on the discussions back and forth, would it be appropriate for the author to release the entire text of what he heard or transcribed?
DIR. JOHN RATCLIFFE: I think the author has released, my understanding essentially, almost all of the information as it’s been related to me.
I don’t know what calculation the author made with regard to what information would be released or not, but again, I can again confirm that with respect to the communications that were related as to me, there was no classified information.
SEN. JACK REED: According to the article, quote, the message contained information that might be interpreted as related to actual and current intelligence operations, and the author did not disclose that information.
So the question would be if he disclosed everything heard, in your view
DIR. JOHN RATCLIFFE: That wouldn’t be classified information. I know the context of what that is, and I think the author said “might be interpreted as related to intelligence information.”.
It was not classified information.
SEN. JACK REED: So it goes back to my point, if he released all this information he did not release, he could do so without any liability at the federal level.
DIR. JOHN RATCLIFFE: I think you’re asking for a legal answer that I’m not able to give you, but–.
SEN. JACK REED: Mr. Patel, can you opine, you’re a lawyer and you’re the director of the FBI, would he face any legal liability if he released the information?
DIR. KASH PATEL: Because of the questions you and the vice chairman have put to me, I’m not going to prejudge the situation, and that legal call is ultimately for the Department of Justice.
Watch above via Fox News.
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