Trump says he can declassify documents just "by thinking about it".

[levnishbar]

I don't want to confuse you too much with facts, but in California (and I suspect most other states) one is only required to mail in the DMV renewal papers with their payment by the time the previous registration expires.

I'm not from the US or Germany so I wouldn't know. I made that post as a light-hearted quip about how others in the world perceive US policing when we read about yet another police shooting of an innocent person.

As a Jew I am all too aware of Germany's dark history, but of the antagonists of WW2 they are one of the most contrite nations, unlike say Japan which has not apologized for what it has done to other countries during their campaigns.

 

[Helmut-WK]

That's why they keep going after him. He shook up the corrupt government establishment and he is the last thing they want.

Well, a corrupt system may be better than an evil government. Germany learned it when the »national Revolution« in 1933 overthrow a corrupt republic.

Trump is no ideologist like Hitler, he is evil in other respects. He sold the Syrian Kurds to Russia, he lied as no established politician ever lied (distortion of truth in about every third tweed), and when he lost the election, he stirred up his followers to steal it from Biden in a sort of coup d'etat. Fortunately, the Capitol attack failed.

Though Trump is certainly a lesser evil compared to Hitler, he appears to me as a bigger evil than the Washington establishment.

 

[Helmut-WK]

I rated it funny because it is so exaggerated. In the German part, I laughed several times.

But basically, it is true.

EDIT: The siren of the German police has a different sound, a melody described in a child-word as Tatütata. Also used by firefighters and ambulance vehicles.

 

[Helmut-WK]

Yes, unlike the video by levnishbar, the German police can be harsh also. There is even the case of Ouri Jalloh, who seems to be murdered in a police station (there was so much cover-up that it is hard to say what really happened).

But if the police (or the prosecuting attorney) get some knowledge in favor for you, it has to be considered.

And since there are less weapons in the street (thanks to restrictions on that). The police is therefore less nervous than in the USA. There is a video (I saw it on TV) where a tourist stands before an US policeman who asks for his documents. The tourist grabs to his passport in the back pocket of his trousers and is shot. Thats unthinkable in Germany, unless there is a strong suspection the suspect may be a terrorist or so.

EDIT: Minor grammatical error

 

[Helmut-WK]

Shall I continue? Or have I made my point clear?

Its the same point I mentioned in post #84.

EDIT: Renumbering caused by deleted post: I meant this post.

 

[driewerf]

Look, we all say dumb things on times. I know I do. So why on earth is it so hard to say 'Gee, that was dumb' and move on? It's almost a game in the forum - find the most ridiculous or dumbest thing that someone on the right has said or done, post it and see how long it takes for some 'whatabout-ism'.

The comment Trump made is completely and utterly unsupportable. And I mean 100% unsupportable. No room for wriggling around it. No chance to put a good spin on it. It was nonsensically, grotesquely, bizzarely wrong. It wouldn't even pass muster as satire.

Why not agree to that, in a less strident manner if you like, and the thread ends.

I agree with you that we all say stupid things each now and then. But there are positions and situations where you don't. Where I gather my rare undamaged brain cells and try to stay sharp. An exam of organic chemistry, a job interview, standing in front of a judge, at a queen's funeral, near the nuclear detonation button, ... you get the picture.
The fact that Trump can't asses this when and where, is an indication of his lack of discernment. Short after the Mar-a-Lago raid, he claimed he had an standing order that everything het took home would be declassified automatically. Again, issuing such broad orders - declassifying stuff without even knowing what the documents says - seems a lack of discernment.
It's a frightening thought that such a person can have the powers over the biggest economy, the biggest nuclear arsenal (though I wouldn't trust him with a small nuclear arsenal either) etc.
It's an equally frightening thought that 80 + million Americans thought otherwise and voted for him in 2020.

 

[driewerf]

Shall I continue? Or have I made my point clear?

With a certain feel of shame, I have to say that this is not the German police, but the Belgian police.

 

[Oompa Loompa]

No he can't in fact some things require going through proper channels, and he most definetly can not do it fiat without telling anyoone, and things like nuclear secrets are still ilegal to have even if declassified lets not forget that. Some things are a crime to have no matter what.

Source

 

[Goonie]

So Trump declassified everything with his mind! Obviously someone needs to put in a foia request for the bank details, Passwords etc for the us treasury.

 

[Goonie]

Source

Tell me. Its Obamas last day, if he decided to declassify the country's defensive plans, with a thought, or even a word, would you think that legal and constitutional?

Bearing in mind the ninth commandment.

 

[DaisyDay]

Not true. As the head of the executive branch, he can declassify anything for whatever reason or for no reason at all. Hence the "all I have to do is think about it and it is declassified."

That’s not how it works in the real world. That is a Trumpian fantasy that no one grounded in reality could even consider for more than a second.

 

[durangodawood]

Obama kept his documents at a defunct furniture store, Trump at his residence guarded by Secret Service.

They are both perfectly entitled to keep their own docs however they see fit.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

Trumpian fantasy

I find it disturbing how such fantastic thoughts become accepted "reality" for so many people simply because of who said it.

 

[Oompa Loompa]

Tell me. Its Obamas last day, if he decided to declassify the country's defensive plans, with a thought, or even a word, would you think that legal and constitutional?

Bearing in mind the ninth commandment.

Yes. Both legal and constitutional. In fact, Biden did that exact thing when he announced on television that we would defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion.

 

[loveofourlord]

With the rare exception of nuclear secrets, and there are probably none in the documents, the president has full authority to declassify--he makes the "channels" if he wishes.

Actually you got it backwards, nuclear is the ONE place he has more lienency to declassify or say who gets to see them. And excuse me? Nuclear secrets of another nation were very likely in there so your wrong. And he still has to go through the proper channels. Many stuff isn't the perview of the president to decide. The content of the documents might not be top secret, but the methods and how they were obtained IS.

A document could be about putin likes hot dogs, but classified because his family dog agreed to put on a wire. There is a reason these are classified and have to go through the proper channels. Even innocent looking things can hurt lives this isn't just something you get to do on a whim, people need to be notified so they get to tell those in danger about it and such.

 

[SimplyMe]

Obama kept his documents at a defunct furniture store, Trump at his residence guarded by Secret Service.

No, Obama did not keep his documents there. Instead, former Pres. Obama turned his documents over to the National Archives (NARA), as the law requires, and NARA rented out and secured a former furniture store to temporarily house the documents while they made copies and prepared everything for the Obama library. And, you'll notice that the article states, as NARA also has stated, that Obama turned over all his Presidential documents and records when he left office, as the Presidential Records Act requires.

 

[loveofourlord]

Source

I'm trying to find it, but so often with google it's a pain to find everything as everyones talking about the parts your not looking for, I believe I posted it in the other topic before, but did find this one.

Declassification Frequently Asked Questions

DOES AUTOMATIC DECLASSIFICATION EQUATE AUTOMATIC DISCLOSURE?

No. Classification is but one basis for an agency to withhold the disclosure of records or information. A declassified record may still contain information covered by additional restrictions that would require continued withholding of information from disclosure.

And again, these are goverment documents not trumps, he doesn't get to walk off with stuff not his. It's rediculous anyone thinks otherwise.

 

[loveofourlord]

Source

Ahhh here it is okay not quiet what I was thinking of so might not fully apply to youar argument but.

Trump under investigation for potential violations of Espionage Act, warrant reveals

But whether the former president actually declassified the documents may not ultimately matter. The Espionage Act, for instance, does not distinguish between classified and declassified materials – unauthorized retention of any document relevant to the statute remains a crime.

And note, despite the title of the act, he doesn't have to actually be doing anything related to espionage to fall under.

 

[Valletta]

No, Obama did not keep his documents there. Instead, former Pres. Obama turned his documents over to the National Archives (NARA), as the law requires, and NARA rented out and secured a former furniture store to temporarily house the documents while they made copies and prepared everything for the Obama library. And, you'll notice that the article states, as NARA also has stated, that Obama turned over all his Presidential documents and records when he left office, as the Presidential Records Act requires.

"The letter, available on the Obama Foundation website and dated Sept. 11, 2018, reveals that the Obama Foundation not only acknowledged possessing classified documents but also admitted that they kept them in a facility that did not meet NARA standards for the storage of those documents."
Letter Reveals Obama Foundation Is Keeping Classified Docs in Abandoned Furniture Warehouse

 

[Valletta]

Ahhh here it is okay not quiet what I was thinking of so might not fully apply to youar argument but.

Trump under investigation for potential violations of Espionage Act, warrant reveals

But whether the former president actually declassified the documents may not ultimately matter. The Espionage Act, for instance, does not distinguish between classified and declassified materials – unauthorized retention of any document relevant to the statute remains a crime.

And note, despite the title of the act, he doesn't have to actually be doing anything related to espionage to fall under.

As long as all presidents are treated equally, that means waiting the same amount of time before indicting Bush and Obama.