In theory, redacting of official documents prior to public release is supposed to be solely to protect confidential sources, or protect ongoing prosecutions, or otherwise serve legitimate government interests. Redactions to prevent embarrassment or potentially illegal activities on the part of federal officials is not legitimate.

The release of a less redacted version of the House Intelligence Committee Report on Russian active measures (AKA "collusion") has exposed abuse of the redaction process to protect the bureaucrats at the FBI and Department of Justice.

Yet that is clearly what happened when the House Intelligence Committee report was first redacted by the DOJ and FBI. Rick Moran noted at the time of the first release that Republicans were angry at what they saw as totally unnecessary redactions and demanded release of a more complete version.

Now that a less redacted version has been released, Americans can see that James Comey lied and that General Michael Flynn was railroaded. Sean Davis has produced an extended Twitter thread that documents the deceptions. It is so good that Devin Nunes has retweeted it:

Good thread here to analyze new declassified information we received tonight...Friday night fun!!! https://t.co/4bKGC8HOue — Devin Nunes (@DevinNunes) May 5, 2018

Here is the original:

The most recent unclassified version of the House Intel Committee's report exposes how DOJ and FBI improperly use redactions to protect people like James Comey from public scrutiny. The before/after versions show what dirty pool DOJ/FBI were playing. Examples forthcoming... — Sean Davis (@seanmdav) May 4, 2018

Compare the fully redacted version that came out last week to the mostly unredacted version that came out today. Do you see what DOJ/FBI tried to cover up? McCabe said they hadn't substantiated anything against Flynn, and the ambush of Flynn at the WH was directed by Comey. pic.twitter.com/6Fc9U3kVwM — Sean Davis (@seanmdav) May 4, 2018

Compare these two pages. The initial redacted version hid clear testimony that the FBI didn't think Flynn lied. McCabe: "The two people who interviewed [Flynn] didn't think he was lying[.]" And: "[N]ot [a] great beginning of a false statement case[.]" pic.twitter.com/MZNIHCGzPU — Sean Davis (@seanmdav) May 4, 2018

DOJ/FBI also tried to hide Comey's clear testimony that FBI agents didn't think Flynn lied. Here's what they covered up: "Comey testified to the Committee that 'the agents...discerned no physical indications of deception. They saw nothing that indicated...he was lying to them.'" pic.twitter.com/bEUiinjxlQ — Sean Davis (@seanmdav) May 4, 2018

Now compare those statements under oath from Comey with what he told @BretBaier on television last week. It's extremely difficult to reconcile them. pic.twitter.com/UZqj07rMpp — Sean Davis (@seanmdav) May 4, 2018

He concludes:

It's clear that DOJ/FBI demanded significant redactions not to protect national security or sources/methods, but to protect potentially corrupt officials from accountability for their actions before and after Trump's election. The Flynn redactions appear to have been done to protect a false statements case with no evidentiary basis. Others were done to hide apparent conspiracy to spy on and leak against Trump officials out of spite over the election results. In one section, initially redacted material suggests an investigation against Flynn that, per Comey, should have been closed was kept open because he may have *thwarted* Obama admin plans to provoke Russia into disproportionately attxkinf [sic] the U.S. With that context in mind, additional redacted material suggests that the illegal leaks against Flynn were done entirely to justify continuing an investigation against him that the FBI had already determined was without basis. This is not how the rule of law works.

It is now clear beyond dispute that the agents of the Deep State are afraid of exposure and are abusing the powers of their offices to prevent their perfidy from being exposed.