Trump claims presidents can declassify documents ‘even by thinking about it

[Harpy Eagle]

That isnt how the law works. Unless there is a rule against it, its legal. For example, its perfectly legal to drink water, yet there is no law that says you have the right to drink water or even the right to look at water.

There are also laws that give the process for declassifying materials in the US. The POTUS is not above those laws.

 

[Couchpotato]

So...one president can literally wipe out all of the state secrets if she or he wanted to do it...without any check or balance?

Is that what the right wing is now asking us to believe?

Wow.

That's not a right-wing conspiracy it's the actual truth. Right wrong or indifferent. If it isnt please feel free to post a link that shows the process for the Checks and Balances to it. There has to be an ultimate arbiter and in this case that is the POTUS. That might be a horrible way of doing it but it is in fact the way we currently do it.

 

[BackAgain]

Trump claims presidents can declassify documents ‘even by thinking about it’

Former President Trump in a new interview asserted presidents don’t have to go through a formal process to declassify sensitive documents and can do so “even by thinking about it.” The former president’s comments came as he has repeatedly argued that he declassified secret and top-secret...

www.yahoo.com

“There doesn’t have to be a process, as I understand it,” Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity. “If you’re the president of the United States, you can declassify just by saying, ‘It’s declassified.’ Even by thinking about it.”

So, do you all agree with this? Is just the mere thought of something being declassified enough to make it so?

It’s a misleading question.

Just picture this. The President (any President) is seeking advice from some expert in a particular field, like troubles with a certain foreign power in a certain region and it’s complicated by other weighty considerations like energy, the prospect of military action and the feelings of other neighboring nations.

To get the advice he needs, the expert needs to be “in the know” about some presently classified material. So, without much ado, the President hands the expert (who has never received clearance for this level of classification) a top secret intel report.

Has the President thereby divulged a state secret? Or, as I maintain, has he effectively (and without a fucking word being uttered) declassified that too secret document for the expert?

 

[Couchpotato]

There are also laws that give the process for declassifying materials in the US. The POTUS is not above those laws.

But as the top of the classification hierarchy the POTUS is the ultimate arbiter of what is or isnt classified and therefore can with a word classify or declassify basically anything. If Im wrong feel free to link something that proves it.

 

[Couchpotato]

It’s a misleading question.

Just picture this. The President (any President) is seeking advice from some expert in a particular field, like troubles with a certain foreign power in a certain region and it’s complicated by other weighty considerations like energy, the prospect of military action and the feelings of other neighboring nations.

To get the advice he needs, the expert needs to be “in the know” about some presently classified material. So, without much ado, the President hands the expert (who has never received clearance for this level of classification) a top secret intel report.

Has the President thereby divulged a state secret? Or, as I maintain, has he effectively (and without a fucking word being uttered) declassified that too secret document for the expert?

That's a fair point

 

[BackAgain]

There are also laws that give the process for declassifying materials in the US. The POTUS is not above those laws.

Says you. But you’re wrong. He is the Executive Branch. If he chooses to declassify a document, his own words and deeds suffice to make it so.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

If he chooses to declassify a document, his own words and deeds suffice to make it so.

But not his own thoughts, there needs to be words and deeds.

Glad we agree on this.

 

[insolent imp]

Who has ultimate authority to classify or declassify documents?

the agency

Then it should be easy to repost

www.google.com
Information appraised as having permanent historical value is automatically declassified once it reaches 25 years of age unless an agency head has determined that it falls within a narrow exemption that permits continued classification and it has been appropriately approved.Nov 6, 2020

 

[insolent imp]

Says you. But you’re wrong. He is the Executive Branch. If he chooses to declassify a document, his own words and deeds suffice to make it so.

 

[BackAgain]

But not his own thoughts, there needs to be words and deeds.

Glad we agree on this.

His own though sufficed, in my illustration. His deed merely confirmed it. Glad you agree.

 

[Godboy]

There are also laws that give the process for declassifying materials in the US. The POTUS is not above those laws.

Oh? Lets see these laws you speak of. As far as i can tell, there is NO documented procedure for which a president can declassify documents. There is NO bureaucrat (who would work at the behest of the president in the first place), who needs to oversee it. If you have information to the contrary, i would love to see it, but im doubtful that you do. Im doubtful that anyone does. Again, as far as i can tell, there is NO documented procedure written ANYWHERE for a president declassifying materials.

 

[BackAgain]

View attachment 699949

Does that have any meaning?

 

[insolent imp]

Who has ultimate authority to classify or declassify documents?

the

Does that have any meaning?

the word agency comes to mind

 

[Harpy Eagle]

His own though sufficed, in my illustration. His deed merely confirmed it. Glad you agree.

Did it? There was a deed/action in your illustration, was there not?

And also, was the document declassified or was the person given the temp clearance to look at it?

 

[Indeependent]

How does the President get these documents in hand?
Who allows the President to walk away with them?

 

[Blaster]

There are also laws that give the process for declassifying materials in the US. The POTUS is not above those laws.

The President can declassify documents.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

The President can declassify documents.

Yes they can, but not with just a mere thought

 

[Harpy Eagle]

To get the advice he needs, the expert needs to be “in the know” about some presently classified material. So, without much ado, the President hands the expert (who has never received clearance for this level of classification) a top secret intel report.

Has the President thereby divulged a state secret? Or, as I maintain, has he effectively (and without a fucking word being uttered) declassified that too secret document for the expert?

Is the expert now free to share said document with others since it is no longer classified? Is the expert now allowed to tell everyone about said document since it is no longer classified?

 

[Blaster]

Yes they can, but not with just a mere thought

Maybe he's psychic.

 

[Blaster]

Is the expert now free to share said document with others since it is no longer classified? Is the expert now allowed to tell everyone about said document since it is no longer classified?

I don't know but it seems you have all the answers.