What it comes down to is this: Representative Nunes and his partners in the White House are acting in mind-boggling bad faith. They talk of privacy, but selectively declassify information to smear career law enforcement officials and mislead the public. They talk of preserving the rule of law, but work hand in hand with this administration to undermine Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and obstruct justice.

Ultimately, #ReleaseTheMemo is the scenario civil rights advocates have warned about for so long: An administration and its congressional enablers are selectively releasing classified information to shield a corrupt administration from facing justice. What is so frustrating about this transparently bogus campaign is how it perverts legitimate concerns about overclassification and government surveillance that civil liberties advocates have fought so hard to bring to light.