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

[loveofourlord]

So nothing about the president not being able to declassify anything he wants? What does the law say about spreading classified information on the floor and posting a picture of it on social media?

No, what I said was it was illegal to have some of the documents wether declassified or not, it's still a crime.

 

[loveofourlord]

One thing I learned reading the posts here: It is not enough that a president unclassifies.

There is a procedure which safeguard the state against errors made by the president.

The president can start a declassification process, but it is not complete when he say a document is declassified.

While this will help against negligence, it does not help against a deliberately careless president, as Trump has outed himself.

But what can one expect from a guy who tries to steal an election, by telling lies, inciting his followers to an attempt of a coup d'etat?

plus it's still ilegal to have some of the documents declassified or not, and he doesn't get to take them home, it's all just red herring nonsense.

 

[GreatLakes4Ever]

The only evidence they need is Trump's statement. Period.

Trump’s hand picked Special Master said that isn’t enough, there needs some evidence the documents were declassified and for some reason his lawyers seem unwilling to produce it. Until they do so, Trump’s hand picked Special Master considers the documents classified. Special master in Trump case appears skeptical of declassification claims | Donald Trump | The Guardian

Edit to fix dead link

 

[Oompa Loompa]

No, what I said was it was illegal to have some of the documents wether declassified or not, it's still a crime.

Then you are arguing with a strawman because that was not my argument you responded to.

 

[DaisyDay]

Like the "clissified" documents they posted on social media? Or the Supreme Court Justice statements on the repeal or Roe? Or the Steele dossiare? Or Trump's tax records? Shall I continue?

"Clissified" on social media? I don't get the reference. We don't know who leaked the tentative decision on Roe v Wade. The Steele dossier was not leaked by DOJ. Trump tax records? You'll have to be more specific as many have been leaked by various parties over the years. He never did keep that campaign promise, though, did he?

 

[DaisyDay]

So nothing about the president not being able to declassify anything he wants? What does the law say about spreading classified information on the floor and posting a picture of it on social media?

No picture of classified information was spread on the floor and posted to social media. What we saw was folders so marked, not the documents with the info, attached to the court filing that was public. Other people, journalists, took it from there and posted it to twitter.

You don't seem to know what any of this is about.

 

[Bradskii]

The only evidence they need is Trump's statement. Period.

On oath. He needs to make it on oath. His lawyers could have already made it. On oath. That hasn't happened. You need to ask yourself why.

 

[Yttrium]

The only evidence they need is Trump's statement. Period.

Considering that practically everything Donald says is a mistruth, I'll take that as confirmation that he has no excuse for having classified in his home. Along with all the other government documents that were illegal for him to possess.

 

[Valletta]

As has been pointed out, the Hoffman Estates property (the "defunct furniture store") is under the control of NARA, as are the records. As the links I provided stated, the records are under the control of NARA. NARA moves the records to Chicago, making them available to the Obama Foundation to digitize, so that the digitized records can be used at the Obama Presidential Library.

All this is talking about is that the Obama Foundation, not NARA, is paying for transporting the records from permanent NARA facilities to the NARA controlled Hoffman Estates location so that the records can be digitized. And note that the facilities they will be transported to aren't to be moved because the other facilities are "secure" but rather the facilities meet NARA's "archival storage standards."

If you look at those archival storage standards, you'll find, rather than security, the standards deal with things like: temperature and humidity standards, limits for air pollutants (particulate and gases), air handling and filtration systems, etc. -- you know, the kind of standards archivists use to ensure that paper records don't fade or deteriorate over time. The issue with the Hoffman Estates property (again, the "defunct furniture store") is not security but that the security does not have the environmental controls that are ideal for long time storage -- since the records are not there to be stored, only scanned (digitally copied).

You should really read links provided and investigate the story, rather than parrot sources that cherry pick and then draw conclusions ignoring parts that interfere with their narrative.

You should read the letter for yourself rather than links to people trying to spin away the facts. While you are correct that the documents did not meet storage standards, the point I am making is that there were classified documents being stored at an old furniture warehouse--THAT IS NOT A SECURE FACILITY. Obama had removed the classified documents from the White House and stored those records in this warehouse--no Secret Service were guarding the warehouse. This is 2018, well after Obama left the White House. Why no raid, why no relentless effort to indict Obama?

 

[SimplyMe]

You should read the letter for yourself rather than links to people trying to spin away the facts.

You should read the letter, I already have. Nowhere does it state what you claim, it matches what NARA has stated.

While you are correct that the documents did not meet storage standards, the point I am making is that there were classified documents being stored at an old furniture warehouse--THAT IS NOT A SECURE FACILITY.

Oh, tell me, what are the security arrangements in the warehouse? I'm guessing you must know, for you to be able to make that claim.

There are ways to make a building like that secure for classified documents -- particularly since most (or all) are only at the "Confidential" or "Secret" level (since they are being copied to have digital copies in the Obama library). I mean, if the government can set up a temporary SCIF in Mar-A-Lago then they should have no issue setting up a secure facility inside an old warehouse that is closed to the public and being used to store Presidential records.

Obama had removed the classified documents from the White House and stored those records in this warehouse--no Secret Service were guarding the warehouse.

No, Pres. Obama did not store the records in this warehouse. Again, read the links I provided. NARA was given all the records when Obama left office; I believe (sorry, don't feel like going back and looking) that it was NARA that actually removed them from the White House. NARA moved the records to the "old furniture warehouse" and still has control of them, so that they can be copied for the Obama Library.

What the letter talks about is that the Obama Foundation, which will operate the Obama Presidential Library, is paying NARA to move and to copy the documents for the library, and pay to return the to Washington.

But to humor you for a moment, provide the exact quotes, from the letter, that states that the Obama Foundation actually controls the documents, much less the Hoffman Estates facility.

This is 2018, well after Obama left the White House. Was no raid, why no relentless effort to indict Obama?

Because, again, all these records (as NARA states) were handed over to NARA when the Obama Presidency ended. NARA rents and controls the "old furniture warehouse" -- not former Pres. Obama or his foundation.

But to give you one more link, here is a link from the Air Force website that talks about the US military coordinated with NARA to move the documents to the Hoffman Estates ("the old furniture warehouse"), "Lt. Col. Vianesa Vargas, the chief of Joint Team Records, is leading the charge for the more than 700 mile trek from Washington D.C. to Hoffman Estates, Illinois, just on the outskirts of Chicago. She’s the lead logistician in charge of a joint team of Airmen and Soldiers who’ve prepared semi-trucks full of artifacts. In all, more than 20 trucks are expected to make deliveries.

"Vargas described her team as the “muscle behind the move.” NARA is responsible for packaging the items from the White House and then coordinates with Vargas and her team for the shipment." Please also note this article is from Dec, 2016 -- while Obama was still President. Again, they state that the final records won't be shipped until the end of January (after Pres. Trump took offices), showing Pres. Obama not only turned over his Presidential Records but started transferring the records to NARA before his term ended. It also states, as I pointed out above, that it was NARA that removed Pres. Obama's Presidential Records from the White House.

Again, more evidence that Obama did not move the records, nor does he control them. Instead, the letter merely is a memorandum of the terms agreed to between the Obama Foundation and NARA that the records would be copied and that the Obama Foundation would both pay for the documents to be digitized and for the cost of moving the documents between Washington, D.C. and Chicago.

 

[stevil]

Again as a JUDGE said, it's a red herring, declassifying them doesn't make it stop making it ilegal to have them, they are GOVEREMENT property not the presidents or anyone elses. I've been saying that for weeks, declassifying means you can make copies and have access to read them, doesn't mean you get to take them home thats just idiotic.

If he thinks he can declassify all this stuff just to keep as trophies of his time as president, then he really is unfit for office. His precious trophies are a national security risk!

 

[Helmut-WK]

Source?

This discussion. Especially these postings:
no 56
no 94.
no 96
These are my sources. If they don't satisfy you, click on the links to sources there (if any), and/or ask the posters for their sources.

 

[Helmut-WK]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.th...1/trump-special-master-documents-declassified

Your link is broken, but contains a valid link to what you meant to link to:
Special master in Trump case appears skeptical of declassification claims | Donald Trump | The Guardian

 

[Helmut-WK]

How was it a "mistake" to miss eleven thousand documents? Not eleven but eleven thousand?

As far as I understand the reports, eleven thousand documents were seized, and now they are scrutinized, some may be the rightful property of Trump, and will be given back to him.

»The special master’s work includes inspecting roughly 11,000 documents, including about 100 marked as classified.« (source)

The documents Trump was not allowed to take include non-classified material, so the actual number of "missed" documents is (much?) higher than 100, of course, but somewhat lower than 11,000.

 

[GreatLakes4Ever]

Your link is broken, but contains a valid link to what you meant to link to:
Special master in Trump case appears skeptical of declassification claims | Donald Trump | The Guardian

Thank you for pointing that out. I fixed the link in my post.

 

[inquiring mind]

How US presidents can declassify documents | verifythis.com

 

[GreatLakes4Ever]

How US presidents can declassify documents | verifythis.com

Then Trump’s lawyers should have no problem giving Trump’s hand-picked Special Master evidence that Trump declassified these documents. Until such time as they do, Trump’s hand-picked Special Master has declared the documents are to be considered classified.

 

[inquiring mind]

Then Trump’s lawyers should have no problem giving Trump’s hand-picked Special Master evidence that Trump declassified these documents. Until such time as they do, Trump’s hand-picked Special Master has declared the documents are to be considered classified.

I believe it says his attorney's may be holding that for defense purposes.

 

[GreatLakes4Ever]

I believe it says his attorney's may be holding that for defense purposes.

Trump’s lawyers must be pretty confident Trump is going to be indicted if they are already telling people they are planning a defense strategy.

 

[dqhall]

Trump talks to Hannity about how he can declassify documents just by thinking about it.

Its been a while since I voluntarily allowed his lying voice to enter my head. But this headline seemed preposterous even for him. Until I heard it for myself.

The Fox video clip is top in the link, with the absurd claim just 25 sec in - for your convenience. (The rest is commentary that I dont care about).
Trump Claims Presidents can declassify things by thinking about it (they can\'t)

Trump signed a law making it a crime to mishandle classified information. He did not follow the legal procedures required to declassify the Mar A Lago collection of Top Secret documents. He can not pass laws by merely thinking about it. It takes an Act of Congress, the President and Supreme Court to pass or change a law. The Feds requested return of these Federal documents. He did not cooperate, but obstructed justice. Then Trump complained about the FBI enforcing the law, like they were the Gestapo in his opinion.