Gowdy: Declassified documents unlikely to change anyone’s mind on Russia investigation

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) said Sunday that the documents President Trump ordered declassified related to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation are unlikely to change anyone’s views on the probe.

Gowdy said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that “99.9 percent” of the documents Trump ordered declassified are unrelated to the president.

“I generally am on the side of transparency, with the caveat do nothing that jeopardizes national security or impacts our relationship with our allies,” said Gowdy, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

{mosads}”I’ve seen all of it, and with the exception of one document, I don’t think anybody’s mind is going to be changed when they read this stuff,” he added.

The White House last Monday said the president had ordered the Justice Department and Office of the Director of National Intelligence to declassify and release a series of documents related to the Russia probe “at the request of a number of committees of Congress and for reasons of transparency.” 

Trump on Friday delayed the release of the documents after “key allies” raised concerns.

In a series of tweets, the president said he recently met with Justice Department officials about his request and that they agreed to release the documents, while noting that they expressed concerns that doing so could have a “perceived negative impact” on Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference during the 2016 election.

The documents include a highly secret application for a surveillance warrant on former Trump campaign aide Carter Page.

Trump has also asked the Justice Department to release “all text messages” related to the Russia probe, including those from former FBI Director James Comey and a handful of current and former officials whom conservatives have accused of exhibiting political bias against Trump.

Gowdy on Sunday called it “terrible,” “heartbreaking” and “sad” that Trump has often publicly feuded with his own Justice Department, particularly Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Gowdy said he understands Trump’s frustration that Sessions recused himself from overseeing the Russia investigation, but added that the Justice Department is a branch that depends on objectivity.

“I would prefer that they keep their differences private,” Gowdy said.