President Trump is taking to his favorite refuge, Twitter, to declare (once again) the Russian involvement in the 2016 election and any connections his campaign had with Russian officials is “fake news.”

Here are some of the most recent:

When will Sleepy Eyes Chuck Todd and @NBCNews start talking about the Obama SURVEILLANCE SCANDAL and stop with the Fake Trump/Russia story? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2017

The juvenile insult is a nice touch from the President of the United States of America. And I don’t even like Chuck Todd.

It is the same Fake News Media that said there is "no path to victory for Trump" that is now pushing the phony Russia story. A total scam! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2017

Wow, @FoxNews just reporting big news. Source: "Official behind unmasking is high up. Known Intel official is responsible. Some unmasked…. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2017

..not associated with Russia. Trump team spied on before he was nominated." If this is true, does not get much bigger. Would be sad for U.S. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2017

There are a couple of things to keep in mind here:

1. Trump can protest all he wants but the FBI has confirmed an investigation is taking place. – Not only is the FBI conducting an investigation into Russia’s influence in the 2016 election, but they are also investigating whether or not anybody on the Trump team colluded with Russia during the same timeframe. Trump is continually saying it is “fake news” and it makes him look like an idiot.

2. There’s been some miraculous timing associated with some of the deflecting the Trump White House is attempting to engage on new developments. – Just two days after James Comey confirmed there was an FBI counterintelligence investigation into whether or not the Trump campaign colluded with Russia (“That includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia’s efforts.”), Devin Nunes pulled his little stunt, running out to give a press conference to announce he saw intelligence reporters of Trump transition team members being gathered up via an incidental collection of legally conducted surveillance.

The day after the NY Times reveals Nunes likely sources for the intelligence he saw were a Michael Flynn flunky and one his former staff members, Fox News reporters, “Oh no no! They weren’t his sources. He got the information in January, was stonewalled by the IC from seeing it until Ezra Cohen-Watnick and Michael Ellis offered to help!” That doesn’t pass the sniff test. Devin Nunes could easily have avoided all the embarrassment he’s suffered merely by telling the press he received the information in January and expressing frustration at being stonewalled by the intelligence community.

3. Trump can put an end to all of the mysteries with a few phone calls. – More maddening than anything else, is Trump’s refusal to release the information in question his supporters say will vindicate him. If you’re Trump and believe the investigations are a joke and that you were deliberately and perhaps illegally targeted by the intelligence community in 2016 and Democrats are attempting to get you out of office in 2017, then why on earth not use your executive powers to declassify all of the information and name names? It doesn’t take being a rocket scientist to figure out the person the Fox News story is likely referring to is John Brennan. If he unmasked names for political purposes and his fingerprints are all over it, President Trump can tell us. President Trump can tell us what was in intelligence reports Devin Nunes reviewed. The surveillance Nunes discussed supposedly has nothing to do with Russia. The President can tell us who it was.

The ultimate question is: Why won’t President Trump do it?

If the information being discussed has no value other than being used for political purposes and has nothing at all to do with national security, why doesn’t Trump release the information in question and direct people like James Comey and members of the intelligence community to testify about in a public forum?

Why?