Comments on: The Plot Thickens http://www.chrisweigant.com/2023/01/24/the-plot-thickens/ Reality-based political commentary Wed, 13 May 2026 04:47:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: ListenWhenYouHear http://www.chrisweigant.com/2023/01/24/the-plot-thickens/#comment-201915 ListenWhenYouHear Wed, 25 Jan 2023 21:34:48 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=23100#comment-201915 Back when Republicans were losing their collective minds over Hillary’s email server, I had a friend who retired from the State Department explain how ridiculous the government’s classification of documents is in reality. Every intelligence agency has it’s own specific classification system that is separate from any other agency’s classification system. That means that a single group email sent to members of each agency could have differing classifications ranging from the highest “eyes only” security to not being considered classified depending on which agency you ask. And then there are military documents that have a separate classification system all together. I asked my friend about retroactively classified documents, and he just laughed and said, “Those are crazy, but not as crazy as someone who has no government clearance unwittingly writing a letter that contains info that one agency deems to be critical to national security being arrested for sending the letter.” If your aunt who moved to Russia sends you photos from her vacation there, don’t share them on Facebook is the lesson he was trying to convey, apparently. But as ridiculous as having every agency using their own classification system seems, he said that it does serve a purpose. When you have spies working in foreign countries, you want to limit the number of people who know who those spies are to as few as possible. That’s why an email sharing a recipe that Aunt Helga sent you from one of the “-istan” countries won’t mean anything to the FBI or the military, but will have folks over at the State Department going into cardiac arrest. “Bottom line”, my friend said, “yes, the classification systems in our government are giant clusterducks… and everyone is well aware of that. But in many ways, that is their saving Grace… it allows us to protect our people as best as we possibly can.” Back when Republicans were losing their collective minds over Hillary’s email server, I had a friend who retired from the State Department explain how ridiculous the government’s classification of documents is in reality. Every intelligence agency has it’s own specific classification system that is separate from any other agency’s classification system. That means that a single group email sent to members of each agency could have differing classifications ranging from the highest “eyes only” security to not being considered classified depending on which agency you ask. And then there are military documents that have a separate classification system all together. I asked my friend about retroactively classified documents, and he just laughed and said, “Those are crazy, but not as crazy as someone who has no government clearance unwittingly writing a letter that contains info that one agency deems to be critical to national security being arrested for sending the letter.” If your aunt who moved to Russia sends you photos from her vacation there, don’t share them on Facebook is the lesson he was trying to convey, apparently.

But as ridiculous as having every agency using their own classification system seems, he said that it does serve a purpose. When you have spies working in foreign countries, you want to limit the number of people who know who those spies are to as few as possible. That’s why an email sharing a recipe that Aunt Helga sent you from one of the “-istan” countries won’t mean anything to the FBI or the military, but will have folks over at the State Department going into cardiac arrest.

“Bottom line”, my friend said, “yes, the classification systems in our government are giant clusterducks… and everyone is well aware of that. But in many ways, that is their saving Grace… it allows us to protect our people as best as we possibly can.”

]]> By: Mezzomamma http://www.chrisweigant.com/2023/01/24/the-plot-thickens/#comment-201914 Mezzomamma Wed, 25 Jan 2023 05:48:19 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=23100#comment-201914 It is essential that a qualified group looks into how documents are handled and in particular, how their return (or not) is recorded. By qualified, I mean people like archivists with experience of handling and managing large numbers of documents. And their professional recommendations should be acted on. Another issue is whether too many documents are routinely marked 'classified' whether they really contain national security issues or not. That might be more difficult to judge and contain. I hope any document-handling work would disappear into the quiet workings of a non-political group until they have results, but I fear the issue may just remain a political football for the next two years. It is essential that a qualified group looks into how documents are handled and in particular, how their return (or not) is recorded. By qualified, I mean people like archivists with experience of handling and managing large numbers of documents. And their professional recommendations should be acted on.

Another issue is whether too many documents are routinely marked 'classified' whether they really contain national security issues or not. That might be more difficult to judge and contain.

I hope any document-handling work would disappear into the quiet workings of a non-political group until they have results, but I fear the issue may just remain a political football for the next two years.

]]> By: Bleyd http://www.chrisweigant.com/2023/01/24/the-plot-thickens/#comment-201913 Bleyd Wed, 25 Jan 2023 04:02:31 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=23100#comment-201913 I wonder if all of this is going to end up with a new set of standards for cataloguing any documents being taken by outgoing executives in order to ensure that they don't (mistakenly or otherwise) leave office with classified materials in their possession. It's looking more and more like there needs to be more oversight on that sort of thing. I wonder if all of this is going to end up with a new set of standards for cataloguing any documents being taken by outgoing executives in order to ensure that they don't (mistakenly or otherwise) leave office with classified materials in their possession. It's looking more and more like there needs to be more oversight on that sort of thing.

]]> By: Elizabeth Miller http://www.chrisweigant.com/2023/01/24/the-plot-thickens/#comment-201912 Elizabeth Miller Wed, 25 Jan 2023 02:06:14 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=23100#comment-201912 I would be very surprised if there is an ex-president/vice president/other high public office holder or presidential library/think tank/other office that has no classified documents kicking around. Now, anyone here think Trump will be charged with obstruction regarding his handling of classified documents? So far, he is the only one in this current mess - Clinton, Trump, Biden, Pence - who actually had the authority to declassify these types of documents, so ... I would be very surprised if there is an ex-president/vice president/other high public office holder or presidential library/think tank/other office that has no classified documents kicking around.

Now, anyone here think Trump will be charged with obstruction regarding his handling of classified documents? So far, he is the only one in this current mess - Clinton, Trump, Biden, Pence - who actually had the authority to declassify these types of documents, so ...

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