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Why is it that my local library knows when I have a book for one day longer than I should, but The White House has classified documents in and out willy nilly? It sounds like we need a better system of checks and balances when it comes to top secret documents for goodness sakes.
In a former life, I held senior level positions in both the executive and legislative branches of the federal government. Because of my position, I was given security clearances that permitted me to read classified documents and/or listen to discussions containing classified information. In all cases, these activities would take place in SCIFs (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility).
Before entering the SCIF, I would have to leave all electronic devices in a basket outside the entry door. If I was provided a document, it would be given to me inside the SCIF and collected from me before I could leave the facility (the same process applied to groups of individuals receiving documents).
For staff members, the restrictions were strictly enforced and the process of who had access to the information would well-executed. For elected officials, including those in the executive branch and in the legislative branch, I had always assumed it was similarly strict and well enforced. Not I am not so sure.
I am surprised – no, shocked – that after the recent disclosures of errant documents being found outside of secure facilities no one at either end of Pennsylvania Avenue has said a new process needs to be created and implemented that tracks the chain of custody of every single written document from the lowliest appointed staffers to our elected officials (including the president).
Each document, every copy of each document, could be stamped with a unique bar code identifying its level of classification and the relevant federal department (or departments) which have jurisdiction over the issue that is documented. Each individual who has been given a security clearance should also be assigned a unique bar code as a part of their credentials (the code would also specify the level of the individual’s security clearance). Whenever and wherever a document is provided to anyone, the respective bar codes are recorded with the time and date. When the documents are returned to their rightful place, the bar codes are again recorded with the time and date.
Such a system would not be difficult to establish or maintain. It is not much of a leap beyond the key fobs many office workers are given to gain access to their buildings, elevators, and other business-related locations. All we need to make is happen is someone in a position of power – a congressman, a senator, a president – to propose it.
Was this the result of an FBI search? I’ll bet Carter, Bush, and Obama have them too.
I bet they all have them, even if unknowingly. The question should be, why are they searching all of these homes and shouldn’t we be searching House and Senate members, on both sides of the isle.
Pence and Biden invited the FBI to pick up/search. The other guy actively obstructed any search going so far to move stuff around.
Can we make sure Cheney and Gore have not decided to “accidentally” take some documents as well?
It’s starting to look like all kinds of people have inadvertently retained classified documents. That’s a problem, of course, but it helps to give a better understanding of what cases are similar and which ones are different. Biden, as we have seen, self-disclosed the existence of the documents and returned them, then invited investigators to come look for more. Pence’s situation seems relatively similar, as apparently are most cases of documents turning up where they’re not supposed to be. That’s why few cases like these end up with criminal charges — because they are inadvertent, with no ill intent. Trump, on the other hand, apparently actively tried to hang onto his documents, claiming they’re “mine,” not cooperating with requests to get them all back to their rightful places, and giving them up under protest only when required by a court-ordered search. He still thinks they’re “mine,” in fact. That’s why we could reasonably end up with charges against Trump, but not Biden or Pence.
Unfortunately, “reasonable” expectations (and yours are) will not factor into this. Political pressure will result in “black and white” declarations…which will be false equivalencies, and also par for the course with the former President and House Republicans.
How righteous and biased!
Oh yes; Biden had them stored in his top secret clearance Corvette garage.
Steve – I am in 100% agreement with you.
Steve B offers a reasonable and thoughtful explanation of the documents in different locations where they should not be. Is it too much to hope for a majority in Congress to be equally reasonable and thoughtful?
Yes, it’s too much.
It’s not too much to hope for. But it is too much to expect.
“Reasonable” and “thoughtful” LOL. Partisan and one-sided, but exactly what we expect from people who think AP and WaPo are news sources. And a steadily diminishing share of the American public believes this, which terrifies the swamp that “reasonable and thoughtful” people at IBJ so steadfastly defend.
Not that anyone takes any of these raids seriously. They’re just smoke and mirrors from the uniparty, after the Midterms successfully rigged mostly safe, establishment-friendly candidates so they could begin preparations to groom a replacement for the increasingly infirm man currently in office.
It’s obvious that there is an all too casual method for handling sensitive documents. I agree with most comments…especially about going to a public library. This creates a whole new business…tagging documents in such a way that it alerts security that documents that should not leave an area, are. It seems way too easy for top secret documents to end up in someone’s home or car or storage unit. This has got to change. If you live and work in the White House, the documents stay there.