Political Wire

  • Front Page
  • Members
    • Subscribe
    • Sign In
  • Trending
  • Resources
    • Politics Extra
    • Political Job Hunt
    • Political Dictionary
    • Electoral Vote Map
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / White House / Trump Walks Back Plan to Declassify Probe Documents
Members should sign in for the full experience.

Trump Walks Back Plan to Declassify Probe Documents

September 21, 2018 at 11:47 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump “walked back his order earlier this week to declassify information in the ongoing probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, saying Justice Department officials and others had persuaded him not to do so for the time being,” the Washington Post reports.

“The retreat from his declassification decree issued just four days ago underscores the ongoing tensions between the White House and the Justice Department over the probe by special counsel Robert Mueller III, who is examining whether any Trump associates may have conspired with the Kremlin to interfere in the election.”

First Read notes Trump hinted at this move last night: “We are moving along, we’re working along. We are also dealing with foreign countries that do have a problem. I must tell you. I got called today from two very good allies saying ‘Please, can we talk.’ It is not as simple as all of that. We do have to respect their wishes. But it will all come out.”

FavoriteLoadingSave to Favorites
  • Bluesky
  • X
  • Threads
  • Facebook
  • Email

Filed Under: White House Tagged With: Russia


You're reading the free version of Political Wire

Upgrade to a paid membership to unlock full access. The process is quick and easy. You can even use Apple Pay.

Upgrade Now

  • ✔ Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, a trending news page, a private podcast, no advertising and more!
  • ✔ If you're already a member, log in for the full experience.



Recent Posts

Justice Department Demands Trans Care Info

August 20, 2025 at 10:32 pm EDT

“The Justice Department is demanding that hospitals turn over a wide range of sensitive information related to medical care for young transgender patients, including billing documents, communication with drug manufacturers…

Alex Jones Warns Trump Headed for Health ‘Collapse’

August 20, 2025 at 10:15 pm EDTAugust 20, 2025 at 10:17 pm EDT

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones sounded the alarm on President Trump’s health, Mediaite reports. Said Jones: “His ankles look like they’re about 15 inches around. That’s not a good sign for…

Macron Explains Why He Sued Candace Owens

August 20, 2025 at 10:12 pm EDT

French president Emanuel Macron said he was compelled to sue Candace Owens over her baseless claims that Brigitte Macron was born a man, the Times of London reports. Said Macron:…

Eric Adams Advisor Tried to Pay Off Reporter

August 20, 2025 at 8:41 pm EDT

“A former top City Hall advisor and current campaign confidante to Mayor Eric Adams attempted to give money to a reporter from The City following a campaign event in Harlem…

White House’s New TikTok Push Epically Backfires

August 20, 2025 at 8:23 pm EDT

“Less than 24 hours after the White House launched a TikTok page, its videos have been inundated with comments about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal,” the Daily Beast reports. Save to…

Trump Staffers Already Cashing In

August 20, 2025 at 8:21 pm EDT

“Donald Trump was emphatic on the campaign trail in 2016: If he made it into office, he would ‘drain the swamp’ with an expansive ethics package cracking down on lobbying….

North Korea Has a Secret Long-Range Missile Base

August 20, 2025 at 8:18 pm EDT

“North Korea has a heavily fortified, covert military base that could house its newest long-range ballistic missiles, which are potentially capable of striking the U.S. mainland,” the Wall Street Journal…

Texas House Approves GOP Congressional Map

August 20, 2025 at 8:17 pm EDTAugust 20, 2025 at 8:19 pm EDT

“The Republican-led Texas House on Wednesday approved a new congressional map crafted to hand five additional U.S. House seats to the GOP over fierce opposition from Democrats, who cast the…

Conservative Radio Host Slams Trump ‘Socialism’

August 20, 2025 at 5:46 pm EDT

Conservative radio host Erick Erickson hammered the Trump administration, particularly Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, for suggesting the government take a large share of chip maker Intel, Mediaite reports. Said Erickson:…

Fed Governor Says She Won’t be Bullied

August 20, 2025 at 5:40 pm EDT

“Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook signaled her intention to remain at the central bank in defiance of calls for her resignation by President Donald Trump over allegations of mortgage fraud,”…

A Prelude to Something Worse?

August 20, 2025 at 5:38 pm EDT

Ed Kilgore: “It’s possible Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to ‘federalize’ law enforcement in Washington, D.C., was just a one-off power grab, reflecting the federal government’s unique control of the capital…

Quote of the Day

August 20, 2025 at 5:36 pm EDT

“Most citizens in Washington D.C. are Black. This is not a city that has had any safety for its Black citizens for generations, and President Trump is the one who…

Pam Bondi Tightens Grip on Justice Department

August 20, 2025 at 5:34 pm EDT

“Pam Bondi has emerged from self-exile following right-wing blowback over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and is reasserting control over the Justice Department and her role as attorney…

Two Big Law Firms Doing Free Work for Trump

August 20, 2025 at 5:33 pm EDT

“At least two large law firms that struck deals with President Trump to avoid punitive executive orders have committed to doing free legal work for the Commerce Department,” the New…

Obama Backs California Redistricting

August 20, 2025 at 5:28 pm EDT

Former president Barack Obama on Tuesday said he supports California Democrats’ moves to redraw congressional districts to offset similar efforts from Texas Republicans, the Washington Post reports. Said Obama: “I…

Most Think Trump Will Pick Kevin Hassett for Fed Chair

August 20, 2025 at 5:21 pm EDTAugust 20, 2025 at 5:44 pm EDT

A new CNBC Fed Survey finds more think President Trump will tap his top economic advisor Kevin Hassett to be the next Federal Reserve chair. But when asked who the…

Vance Suggests Troops Could Be Sent to Other Cities

August 20, 2025 at 4:17 pm EDT

“Vice President JD Vance and other Trump administration officials suggested Wednesday that the federal takeover of policing in D.C. could serve as a test case for other cities across the…

Tulsi Gabbard to Slash Her Staff

August 20, 2025 at 3:16 pm EDT

“Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is moving forward with the next phase of plans to eventually cut staffing in her department by almost half,” Axios reports. Save to Favorites

Latino Voters Could Decide the Redistricting Wars

August 20, 2025 at 3:08 pm EDTAugust 20, 2025 at 3:12 pm EDT

Playbook: “Texas Republicans are set to pass their new congressional maps through the state House today, officially putting their stamp on the redistricting arms race that has unfolded as national…

Israeli Official Charged in Child Sex Ring Flees the U.S.

August 20, 2025 at 2:54 pm EDT

“MAGA is pushing the Trump administration to explain why an Israeli official who was arrested in an undercover child sex sting in Nevada was allowed to leave the U.S. after…

« Early Voting Begins
Quote of the Day »

Get Smarter About Politics

Members get exclusive analysis, a trending news page, the Trial Balloon podcast, bonus newsletters and no advertising. Learn more.

Subscribe

Your Account

Sign in

Latest for Members

  • Elon Musk Has a Favorite to Succeed Trump
  • Trump’s War on Mail Ballots Could Easily Backfire
  • California Gerrymander Will Be Decided by Voters
  • The Lucky Break for Democrats in Mamdani’s Landslide
  • To Beat a Strongman You Need to Show He’s Not One

Word of the Day

Lunatic Fringe: The “lunatic fringe” is the wing of a political or social group that holds more extreme views than the rest of that group.  The lunatic ….

Read the full definition

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

Praise for Political Wire

“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”

— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”

“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”

— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report

“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”

— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report

“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”

— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia

“Political Wire is a great, great site.”

— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”

“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”

— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post

“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”

— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit

“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”

— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.

Copyright © 2025 · Goddard Media LLC | Privacy Policy | Corrections Policy

Political Wire ® is a registered trademark of Goddard Media LLC