Thread by @OfficeBob

A friend with classified document experience has given me permission to post her comments here, and so...a thread:

1/

"This week in Trumpland has been wild. So I thought I'd put my FSO hat back on and talk about document classification. This is a long one.

A sitting president cannot wave his magic wand and declare something declassified. "

2/

"He has the authority to read someone into classified programs whenever he wishes, but the documents themselves must go through a review process before being officially declassified."

3/

"Certain topics, like nuclear programs (including some communication programs that support nuclear deployment), cannot be declassified by anyone. The president included."

4/

"There was a lot of bruhaha when Trump included blatantly untrustworthy individuals in his planning. It was stupid of him, but also his prerogative as president."

/5

"When a president leaves office, they leave their security classification at the door of the White House. Some presidents may continue to receive national security briefs but that is at the discretion of their successor. "

6/

"Those that receive briefs are read in under the authority of the sitting president. They do not have a security clearance of their own that entitles them to classified information."

7/

"A former president cannot declassify anything. Once they leave office, they are civilians in the eyes of the law. It doesn't matter if the documents were generated when they were president or if they know the contents. NARA will not give them access. "

8/

"No former president can just go to the archives an open a classified file generated during his presidency."

9/

"He certainly cannot talk about sensitive information that he is aware of once out of office. This goes for any government employee. There are topics that I am not allowed to discuss with anyone."

10/

"Most of them are mundane, but they are still classified. Others could put me away for a few decades if I talk about them. Therefore, zipped lip."

11/

"Top Secret/SCI documents cannot be secured by a simple padlock. The National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual, or NISPOM, has strict guidelines on securing classified documents that must be followed. "

12/

"Including the construction of the room that TS/SCI documents are stored in. From the door frame to the thickness of the walls to the lighting fixtures. "

13/

"Inside, the documents must be contained within an accredited safe/file cabinet that declares the classification of its contents. Each cabinet must be secured with a unique combination or reinforced lock. "

14/

"TS/SCI cannot be stored with Secret, which cannot be stored with Confidential. Each classification must be stored only with similarly classified documents. Some SCI documents are so sensitive that they must be stored separately from all others."

15/

"Storing documents in a room locked with a padlock in cardboard boxes isn't even sufficient for Confidential.

Removing any document from storage requires that it be checked out and then back in by the FSO. "

16/

"Entering certain parts of a building that stores classified documents requires an FSO escort."

17/

"Every facility that stores classified documents or works on classified projects falls under the aegis of a civilian Facility Security Officer. By law the FSO "owns" the documents. They are solely responsible for their safekeeping."

18/

" Go into a government office and look for a picture somewhere near the entrance. It will be a photo of the FSO along with their contact information."

19/

"DoD/DoE security audits are anal retentive to the extreme. You better believe the auditor will measure the width of your door frame and remove screws to make sure they meet minimum standards."

20/

"They'll test the drywall. Run fiber optics through the HVAC ducts to make sure no one could overhear something through them. God help you if a measurement is off by less than a quarter of an inch."

21/

"If you facility ONLY meets minimum standards, chances are good it's not going to be your facility anymore."

22/

"I have had people jailed for far, far less than what the FBI recovered at Mar-a-Lago. I've fired employees for taking a single Confidential document out of my facility by accident. Because at the end of the day, it's MY document and MY ass on the line in an audit. "

23/

"Put Trump in prison."

24/24