Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, and President Trump’s name was rarely mentioned. The White House also sought to make political hay of the release of photos of Bill Clinton.

Several members of Congress criticized the department’s No. 2, Todd Blanche, after he said more documents would be coming weeks late.

© Pete Marovich for The New York Times

The departure of Mr. Bongino had seemed inevitable since August, when the White House hired Missouri’s attorney general, Andrew Bailey, to share his job as deputy director.

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Even if the wisdom of releasing the files is a nuanced issue, the president’s behavior has been indefensible.