Trump is probably on the list, so he has to protect that. The Democrats had it during their entire presidency; even if they didn’t want turmoil during their time in office, they could have released it after their presidential defeat and before Trump took office.
I think manufacturing the complex evidence needed here wouldn’t be possible.
I had a similar thought. Why didn’t they just release democrat names? And I think it’s because while they know they can claim nothing exists (What they are doing now, after having access), if they try to cherry-pick info and claim that’s all that exists, someone with knowledge in the matter will be able to leak/prove they are cherry picking.
It’s also very tempting to buy into the idea that if the list is as long and vast as some suggest, it will undermine trust in a very real way that goes beyond MAGA/Qanon fringe conspiracy circles. I could see the Trump admin, as stupid and bumbling as they are, recognizing the fire they are playing with.
I hate how kooky that all sounds. What a fucked up situation.