Trump threatens to declassify ‘devastating’ documents if Democrats ‘want to play tough’ in Congress

A top Democrat hit back saying that the president is trying to spread fear over the mystery documents

(Getty Images)

President Donald Trump has said that he will declassify documents that will be “devastating” for Democrats if his political opponents “want to play tough” next year when they take control of the House of Representatives.

Once they take over the House in January, Democrats will be able to launch investigations into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election and the president’s personal finances

“If they want to play tough, I will do it,” Mr Trump said. “They will see how devastating those pages are”.

Mr Trump suggested that the documents would serve as a "counterpunch" to Democrats if they choose to investigate him.

“If they want to go and harass the president and the administration, I think that would [be] the best thing that could happen to me because I’m a counterpuncher and I will hit them so hard, they’ve never been hit like that,” Mr Trump said in aninterview with the New York Post. “You know what? I think that will help my campaign. That will be the beginning of my campaign as president.”

The White House announced in September that Mr Trump had ordered the declassification of the documents, which include surveillance warrant applications on former campaign adviser Carter Page and text messages related to the Russia investigation from former FBI Director James Comey and other officials. Mr Trump fired Mr Comey last year, leading Special Counsel Robert Mueller to take over the federal investigation into Russian election meddling and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.

Mr Trump later announced that he would delay the release, citing a meeting during which Justice Department officials said doing so could have a “perceived negative impact” on Mr Mueller’s Russia investigation.

Mr Trump said that he has not declassified the documents as a way to hold leverage over Democrats.

“It's much more powerful if I do it then,” Mr Trump said of releasing the documents, which he said may include FISA warrant applications as well as documents the president claims would expose that the FBI, Justice Department, and Hillary Clinton campaign have worked to set him up. “Because if we had done it already, it would already be yesterday's news”.

After the interview was published, incoming House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff accused the president of making those statements to spread fear, and that his threats amount to a promise to misrepresent issues and circumstances through selective disclosure of facts.

“What Trump says: If Democrats play tough I will declassify ‘devastating documents’”, Mr Schiff tweeted. “What he means: If Democrats do legitimate oversight I will burn sources and allies by selectively declassifying info so my legal team can misrepresent it to the public”.

Mr Schiff continued: “Why he’s doing it: Fear”.

Mr Trump has enjoyed Republican control of both the House and the Senate during his first two years in office, but the GOP’s control over the former will be relinquished after Democrats picked up dozens of seats in the midterm elections earlier this month.

The lost control means that Democrats will now have subpoena power and the ability to pursue their own investigations into matters related to Mr Trump, his campaign, and Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 election.