Donald Trump’s declassification tweet just blew up in his face – and now a federal judge is on the case

| 9:09 am EDT October 9, 2020
Dear Palmer Report readers, we all understand the difficult era we're heading into. Major media outlets are caving to Trump already. Even the internet itself and publishing platforms may be at risk. But Palmer Report is nonetheless going to lead the fight. We're funding our 2025 operating expenses now, so we can keep publishing no matter what happens. I'm asking you to contribute if you can, because the stakes are just so high. You can donate here.

When Donald Trump tweeted earlier this week that he was declassifying all documents related to the Trump-Russia investigation because they were going to prove he was framed, we all wrote it off as yet another sign of Trump’s dexamethasone-induced mania. But now the tweet is having real world consequences – and not the kind Trump was hoping for.

BuzzFeed has been trying to get the courts to release the full unredacted Mueller report for quite some time, and it’s been a slow process. But now BuzzFeed is arguing that Trump’s tweet means the Mueller report has been declassified. Judge Reggie Walton is taking this matter seriously, and is demanding that the DOJ take a position on whether it views Trump’s declassification tweet as valid.

This leaves Bill Barr with two equally unappealing options. He can have the DOJ agree in court with Trump’s tweet, which would result in the full Mueller report immediately becoming public. Or Barr can have the DOJ dispute the validity of Trump’s tweet in court, which would embarrass and enrage Trump.