I looked at each of the three men in front of me, blankly. I was confident Mark knew this request was completely out-of-bounds. HPSCI’s protocol for reviewing classified documents was independent of the White House, and if Mark needed national security staffers with the appropriate clearance, we could work with Robert O’Brien and the National Security Council team. But I could tell by the look on Mark’s face that his mind was made up, and trying to give him a lesson on protocol would only infuriate him. I was floored. For the president’s sake, I felt burdened with the responsibility to restore
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