Files seized at Mar-a-Lago include material on foreign nation’s nuclear capabilities

[surada]

And again, we're stuck trying to reason with people who simply exist in another information universe. I've been told here that:

• Those government documents at Mar-A-Lago belong to him. Personally.
• He secretly blanket-declassified those government documents, so that's why it's okay he has them and refuses to return them.
• Having highly-classified (and possibly nuclear-related) documents in random boxes and desks is no big deal.
• The FBI tried to make it look like Trump threw those documents on the floor like that.
• There is no reason for concern when a clearly-marked classified file has no documents in it.

As usual, there is just no response to this kind of thinking.

Remember yesterday Trump claimed that he took the documents because he was afraid of Biden.

 

[surada]

Former FBI assistant director says Trump could have kept hold of a foreign country's nuclear secrets because it had 'the highest price tag' for classified info

A foreign country, or its adversaries, would pay astronomical prices to find out what the US knew about its nuclear power, said Frank Figliuzzi.

news.yahoo.com

The documents Trump stole have a very high dollar value.

 

[Wild Bill Kelsoe]

They were all mixed together. Security at Mara Lago is a joke.

How do you know they were all mixed together? Were you there?

 

[Wild Bill Kelsoe]

Remember yesterday Trump claimed that he took the documents because he was afraid of Biden.

No...lol

 

[ABikerSailor]

How do you know they were all mixed together? Were you there?

The FBI said that they were mixed together, which is why they took all of the documents.

 

[Wild Bill Kelsoe]

The FBI said that they were mixed together, which is why they took all of the documents.

And we're supposed to take their word as gospel? Yeah, ok...lol

 

[surada]

No...lol

rightwinger

Yep. I know it sounds asinine, but Trump claims he had to take the documents because he felt that Biden would destroy them.

There's a shift in perception now. 44% of Trump supporters polled have moved from unethical to illegal.

I don't envy the Special Master who will review the documents. This person has to be a lawyer or judge who has top security clearance and is solidly bipartisan.

You know Trump will sic his minions on whoever is appointed Special Master.

 

[surada]

And we're supposed to take their word as gospel? Yeah, ok...lol

Don't be a nihilist. Everyone is not like Trump.

 

[Wild Bill Kelsoe]

Yep. I know it sounds asinine, but Trump claims he had to take the documents because he felt that Biden would destroy them.

There's a shift in perception now. 44% of Trump supporters polled have moved from unethical to illegal.

I don't envy the Special Master who will review the documents. This person has to be a lawyer or judge who has top security clearance and is solidly bipartisan.

You know Trump will sic his minions on whoever is appointed Special Master.

You got a link quoting Trump saying he's scared of Biden?

 

[Wild Bill Kelsoe]

Don't be a nihilist. Everyone is not like Trump.

The FBI has already lied in an attempt to charge Trump. Why should we take their word as gospel, now?

 

[surada]

You got a link quoting Trump saying he's scared of Biden?

There are many sources to choose from.

Trump told aides he kept Russia documents he feared Biden would ‘shred’, report says

Trump was accused of colluding with Moscow to win the 2016 elections

www.independent.co.uk

 

[surada]

The FBI has already lied in an attempt to charge Trump. Why should we take their word as gospel, now?

Lol.. right. Everyone is a liar except Trump.

 

[Wild Bill Kelsoe]

Lol.. right. Everyone is a liar except Trump.

You do admit, though, that the FBI lied about the Russia collusion hoax. Right?

 

[Wild Bill Kelsoe]

There are many sources to choose from.

Trump told aides he kept Russia documents he feared Biden would ‘shred’, report says

Trump was accused of colluding with Moscow to win the 2016 elections

www.independent.co.uk

So no, you have nothing quoting Trump saying he's scared of Biden. Didn't think so...lol

 

[surada]

So no, you have nothing quoting Trump saying he's scared of Biden. Didn't think so...lol

According to Trump's staffers.

Trump hasn't had any credibility since the early 1980s. What makes you think he's changed?

 

[playtime]

You assume then?
POTUS has ultimate declassification authority.

Excerpt from a paywalled NYT article:

Is the classification system enforced by criminal law?​

Largely not.

For the most part, the classification system is about bureaucratic controls. The main punishment for disobedience is administrative: Officials can be admonished, lose their security clearances and be fired.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Can presidents declassify matters directly?​

Yes, because it is ultimately their constitutional authority.

Normally, presidents who want something declassified direct subordinates overseeing the department or agency with primary responsibility for the information to review the matter with an eye to making more of it public. But on rare occasions, presidents declassify something directly.


For example, in 2004, President George W. Bush himself declassified a portion of his presidential daily intelligence briefing from August 2001 — a month before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks — in which he had been warned: “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.”

________________________________________________________________________________

Do presidents have to obey the usual procedures?​

There is no Supreme Court precedent definitively answering that question.


Even if it is true that Mr. Trump had pronounced the documents declassified while he was in office, he clearly did not follow the regular procedures.

Presidential Power to Declassify Information, Explained

The U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in a 2020 decision about whether statements made by then-President Trump declassified the existence of a CIA program that “declassification, even by the president, must follow established procedures.”

If a document is declassified, that doesn’t automatically mean it can be shared widely, either. For example, nuclear information – which is generally classified – is also protected by the federal Atomic Energy Act of 1954, McClanahan explained.
Yes, the president can declassify documents, but there isn’t a set protocol they have to follow


The Atomic Energy Acts of 1946 and 1954 produced an even stranger category of classified knowledge. Anything related to the production or use of nuclear weapons and nuclear power is inherently classified, and Trump could utter whatever words he pleased yet still be in possession of classified material. Where are our nuclear warheads? What tricks have we developed to make sure they work? This information is “born secret” no matter who produces it. The restrictions on documents of this type are incredibly tight...
Not Even the President Can Declassify Nuclear Secrets

The Washington Post reported the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago for “nuclear documents,” among other classified information.
“Because [nuclear information] has this dual protection, even if you declassify a nuclear document, you cannot disseminate it because it’s still what’s called Restricted Data,” McClanahan said.
“So to the extent that he [Trump] had any nuclear information in there, declassification would not help him in the slightest, because he would still be disseminating restricted data or moving Restricted Data,” he added.
There are other federal laws in place that bar a president from taking government records, whether they are classified or declassified. Still, breaking those laws – or most other laws – doesn’t automatically disqualify someone from becoming president, because of the simple presidential qualifications that are outlined in the U.S. Constitution.

 

[surada]

Trump told aides he kept Russia documents he feared Biden would ‘shred’, report says

Trump was accused of colluding with Moscow to win the 2016 elections

www.independent.co.uk

 

[bigrebnc1775]

Maybe Republicans can explain this away. I doubt it.

Files seized at Mar-a-Lago include material on foreign nation’s nuclear capabilities​

Some of the documents seized on Aug. 8 detail top-secret U.S. operations so closely guarded that many senior national security officials are kept in the dark about them.

A document describing a foreign government’s military defenses, including its nuclear capabilities, was found by FBI agents who searched former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence and private club last month, according to people familiar with the matter, underscoring concerns among U.S. intelligence officials about classified material stashed in the Florida property.


Some of the seized documents detail top-secret U.S. operations so closely guarded that many senior national security officials are kept in the dark about them. Only the president, some members of his Cabinet or a near-Cabinet-level official could authorize other government officials to know details of these special-access programs, according to people familiar with the search, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive details of an ongoing investigation.
Documents about such highly classified operations require special clearances on a need-to-know basis, not just top-secret clearance. Some special-access programs can have as few as a couple dozen government personnel authorized to know of an operation’s existence. Records that deal with such programs are kept under lock and key, almost always in a secure compartmented information facility, with a designated control officer to keep careful tabs on their location.


But such documents were stored at Mar-a-Lago, with uncertain security, more than 18 months after Trump left the White House.

Crock of shit. The real threat came from 3 democrat presidents. Clinton and Obama giving nuclear components and information to China. Obama and Biden giving nuclear information to Iran

 

[surada]

Crock of shit. The real threat came from 3 democrat presidents. Clinton and Obama giving nuclear components and information to China. Obama and Biden giving nuclear information to Iran

That was Rumsfeld...

Rumsfeld was on ABB board during deal with North Korea

Weapons experts say waste material from the two reactors could be used for so-called “dirty bombs”. The Swiss-based ABB on Friday told swissinfo that Rumsfeld was involved with the company in early 2000, when it netted a $200 million (SFr270million) contract with Pyongyang. The ABB contract was...

www.swissinfo.ch

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

Crock of shit. The real threat came from 3 democrat presidents. Clinton and Obama giving nuclear components and information to China. Obama and Biden giving nuclear information to Iran

You twice voted for and continue to support someone who placed national security in jeopardy – someone you’ll vote for again if given the opportunity.

Such is the right’s contempt for America.