Classified documents from Biden's time as VP discovered in private office, source says

[Galactic Spin]

Ultimately, yes. The POTUS can declassify pretty much any classified documents. However, that document still MUST go through a review process by the originating agency AND BE APPROVED before the document is officially declassified. A declassification memorandum must also be attached explaining what segments of the document, if not the entire document, has been declassified. THIS is they mystery behind Trump's claim that he declassified everything he had. The DoJ/FBI is asking, "Show of the declassification review...show us the memo(s)." To date, neither Trump nor the originating agencies have been able to produce such declassification documents.

Trump had the chance to make this claim. Only problem: the special master pointed out that he has to submit a list of which docs he classified. "Uh, whatever you have!" isn't going to cut it.

Naturally, team Trump refused to submit such a list, because they would never have compiled a comprehensive list, basically leaving some of the classified docs as "still classified".

It's pretty definitive proof that this is bullshit.

 

[Plasmaball]

Ultimately, yes. The POTUS can declassify pretty much any classified documents. However, that document still MUST go through a review process by the originating agency AND BE APPROVED before the document is officially declassified. A declassification memorandum must also be attached explaining what segments of the document, if not the entire document, has been declassified. THIS is they mystery behind Trump's claim that he declassified everything he had. The DoJ/FBI is asking, "Show of the declassification review...show us the memo(s)." To date, neither Trump nor the originating agencies have been able to produce such declassification documents.

Nobody has really tested this though. This is the general theory of how things are supposed to go down.

 

[Objective Voice]

Nobody has really tested this though. This is the general theory of how things are supposed to go down.

No, not in court...yet. But if they did, Trump would lose. Why? Because he actually went through the declassification review process I summarized (referring you back to my post #3625) and made public notice of it using an Executive Memorandum to do so, i.e., Crossfire Hurricane.

At my request, on December 30, 2020, the Department of Justice provided the White House with a binder of materials related to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Crossfire Hurricane investigation. Portions of the documents in the binder have remained classified and have not been released to the Congress or the public. I requested the documents so that a declassification review could be performed and so I could determine to what extent materials in the binder should be released in unclassified form.

I determined that the materials in that binder should be declassified to the maximum extent possible. In response, and as part of the iterative process of the declassification review, under a cover letter dated January 17, 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation noted its continuing objection to any further declassification of the materials in the binder and also, on the basis of a review that included Intelligence Community equities, identified the passages that it believed it was most crucial to keep from public disclosure. I have determined to accept the redactions proposed for continued classification by the FBI in that January 17 submission.

I hereby declassify the remaining materials in the binder.

 

[Objective Voice]

Oh, btw...

For anyone interested, I've linked to the Federal Register. There you can find a list of every Executive Order/Memorandum signed by each President from the Clinton to Biden (to date). I challenge every Republican who firmly believes Trump "declassified everything" discovered at MAL or other locations where classified material was found to find the memo.

 

[Plasmaball]

No, not in court...yet. But if they did, Trump would lose. Why? Because he actually went through the declassification review process I summarized (referring you back to my post #3625) and made public notice of it using an Executive Memorandum to do so, i.e., Crossfire Hurricane.

I don't disagree that he would lose

 

[Credence]

Trump has a bank account in China and his daughter had her Chinese trademarks fast tracked while he was in office. Isn't that suspicous to you?

Every accusation TFG has made is because he did it and then projects onto his political enemies.
I still, for the life of me, don't understand how people can support this corrupt man except those white supremacists he has emboldened.

Add to that Kushner receiving $2 BILLION from Saudi Arabia.

If the GQP were credible, they would investiate TFG's family as well as Biden's.

Also you can't say Biden having classified documents is important and should be subjected to oversight even though he is complying with DOJ if you don't admit it is just as if not more important to also investigate TFG having the classified documents and not complying.

This wreaks of hypocrisy.

 

[Athanasius68]

Well you have to establish probable cause that a crime has been committed in order to get a Magistrate to sign off on a search warrant. There is no such evidence of any of that in Biden's case

Mr. Biden himself has said the files were inadvertently left.
The legal standard is not intent.
Its gross negligence.

WTF do you mean he had no business possessing? He was the freaking Vice President for Christ's sake. You think he didn't have a security clearance for them? Yet another one of your classic clown posts.

Mr Biden hadn't been VP since Jan 2017. Moreover, he had no legal authority to remove and retain classified information in unauthorized places.

Trump could have made a similar argument, but he didn't. In fact his own statements and actions in sum clearly indicate that he knew he was in possession of these documents and did not want to give them up. Whereas Biden's team returned them immediately upon discovery.

That would be false. They reported it to the Biden WH and not to law enforcement.

A discovery they had conducted themselves without any prodding from anyone.

Its also unexplained whu lawyers were needed to go through files.

I have to confess that I was under the impression that all these classified documents are tracked. But in an interview I saw with a former high level HomeLand Security official said that is not the case at all. Only relatively very few classified documents are of the sign out and sign back in category. For all the rest there exists no tracking system whatsoever.

Apparently some of these documents were of the top level that are tracked.
Which means that there would be a record of Biden possessing it.
And remember--- it was not the Biden people who reported this to law enforcement.

 

[Anthony60]

They raided his home because he was asked to return the docs, and said no. Then he was issued a subpoena ordering him to return them, and he said no again. See the difference here?

Now, now. Let's not get stupid here. They raided his home for political purposes, 100%. There is no debating that fact.

 

[Anthony60]

Yes, he has.

Stop covering for Trump.

Trump is, was, and will always be scum.

Has not!

 

[Callen]

Mr. Biden himself has said the files were inadvertently left.
The legal standard is not intent.
Its gross negligence.

Wrong. The standard for Unathorized Removal and Retention of Classified Documents is knowledge and intent .

Mr Biden hadn't been VP since Jan 2017. Moreover, he had no legal authority to remove and retain classified information in unauthorized places

How do we know when they were taken? The documents in his office were in a file folder with Beau Biden's funeral arrangements. Beau died before Biden left office. There has been no information relative to timing.

That would be false. They reported it to the Biden WH and not to law enforcement

. They were handed over to the Archives and the DOJ notified. The FBI is part of the DOJ

It's also unexplained why lawyers were needed to go through files.

Logically, lawyers would be sorting through the documents in his Penn Institute office to decide where they should go, the Penn institute, the university, some other group, or Biden. If they expected to find classified documents people with the appropriate clearance would have been dispatched.

 

[Callen]

Now, now. Let's not get stupid here. They raided his home for political purposes, 100%. There is no debating that fact.

Well with you there certainly isn't but the facts are that a search warrant was issued because he failed to comply with a lawfully executed subpoena. Had he turned them over the search would have been unnecessary. The DOJ tried pretty please first!

 

[ColdHardTruth]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-54553132&ved=2ahUKEwiKxeyIps38AhXztoQIHUdyA8AQFnoECDAQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3zhGKeH-o3XAyZoI7Afj1Y

During WWII, Joseph Goebbels used a tactic in his speeches. He said, "Accuse your enemy of that which you have done."

This is a common tactic used by the right-wing.

 

[ColdHardTruth]

the ones defending him are very likely Biden voters

the ones saying Biden had no idea the documents were where they were, likely Biden voters

Stop and think about this situation. If Biden really did not know the documents were in that office, then what does that tell you?

Trump knew he had the documents he took because he took 15 boxes of documents. Many of them were classified TS:SCI. Trump refused to give them back even when he was subpoenaed.

The reich-wing is trying awfully hard to move the orange anus out of the public eye. Why do you think that is?

 

[Paradoxical]

I honestly believe Trump took them as souvenirs, as mementos of his days of "glory". He may have shown them to a few as a braggart would but I don't think he took them for nefarious reasons. I don't think Biden knowingly took them with the intent to keep them. I think it was slopiness.

Trouble for Trump is he showed both knowledge and intent and he was stupid enough to obstruct justice which will likely be his Achilles heel

He declassified all of them by memo

 

[Rogue Valley]

What process? The president can declassify and documents whenever he wants.

Sure he can, but then the official declassification process must also transpire.

Re-stamping documents etc.

 

[Rogue Valley]

Right..there are no markings showing they were declassified.
But that doesn't take away from the fact that potus basically has unlimited declassify powers.

Even with nukes and such. He basically has final say. What the issue is it has never been tested so the final outcome hasn't been proven.

I never argued against a presidents power to declassify.

But to pretend that there is no formal declassification process is disingenuous and dishonest.

Documents have to be re-stamped, and any tangential documents have to be stamped if the new classification also affects them.

There is also an attached memorandum as to why a document's classification was changed. Declassification is not a magical process and does not happen in a vacuum.

None of these things happened with the Trump stolen documents.

 

[rahl]

Now, now. Let's not get stupid here. They raided his home for political purposes, 100%. There is no debating that fact.

lol no. He was asked to return them, and said no. He was SUBPOENAD and ordered to return them, and said no again. He ****ed around, and found out.

 

[ColdHardTruth]

He declassified all of them by memo

Nope.

That is not how that works.

He did not declassify anything. He said that when he figured out he was in trouble.

Stop defending the orange anus.

 

[soap box]

Mr. Biden himself has said the files were inadvertently left.
The legal standard is not intent.
Its gross negligence.

This is exactly like the other claim about the DOJ and trump rioters. Total crap, proven wrong 417 times.

Mr Biden hadn't been VP since Jan 2017. Moreover, he had no legal authority to remove and retain classified information in unauthorized places.


That would be false. They reported it to the Biden WH and not to law enforcement.

That's funny, you make it sound like they were going to keep secrets for Biden, like NARA wasn't going to tell the FBI.

Its also unexplained whu lawyers were needed to go through files.


Apparently some of these documents were of the top level that are tracked.
Which means that there would be a record of Biden possessing it.
And remember--- it was not the Biden people who reported this to law enforcement.

Yeah that's a funny assertion, they didn't report it because they told the people who have the most authority to tell the FBI? Yeah that's interesting if someone doesn't have a brain.

The bolded reveals jumping to conclusions. The underlines are of your imaginative, unsubstantiated and spurious inferences.

 

[Ambig]

Now, now. Let's not get stupid here. They raided his home for political purposes, 100%. There is no debating that fact.

Nonsense. They raided him because he behaved in a criminal way. It's their job to raid criminals.

 

[ElChupacabra]

Nope.

That is not how that works.

He did not declassify anything. He said that when he figured out he was in trouble.

Stop defending the orange anus.

He claims there was a memo, but it has not been produced. What's more interesting is that his lawyers are not making the claim he declassified the documents in court, which if this follows the pattern of his previous lawsuits, means that he's just saying unsubstantiated things publicly that will not stand scrutiny in court.

 

[SuperDS77]

He claims there was a memo, but it has not been produced.

Would it matter?

 

[Galactic Spin]

Would it matter?

Sure, if it listed every single document specifically, it might. But we all know that doesn't exist.

 

[ElChupacabra]

Would it matter?

Of course. If he claims there's a paper trail, then that would help substantiate his original statement. That his lawyers aren't repeating this in court indicates there is no such document and he was just saying things to say things.

 

[soap box]

Would it matter?

Yes it matters. If he declassfied one set of docs correctly, why not declassify the rest correctly? If he did follow procedure for CH docs, where's the documentation of the rest?

If you'll recall, during the special master redirection, trump was at rallies and posting online about declassfied docs, but his lawyers didn't say a peep about it in court. Which is real? Trump rallies and truth social or the courts? Which one is reality?