Donnie Dumptruck says Mar-A-Lago's been searched by the FBI

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does Trump have the authority to “declassify” anything he wants?

If he follows the process of having it properly processed, inventoried, reviewed, cleared and remarked per IC, NARA etc then yes.

But if the question is can he at any time wave a magic wand over a box of documents and declare it declassified, then the answer is absolutely not.

The idea that a bunch of bean counters get to usurp presidential powers is absurd. How do you stop said bean counters from simply not following through deliberately?

Said bean counters are staffers with clearance. They are there to make the Executive Branch function as a TEAM, and they provide guardrails. The President is not a monarch, and doesn't get to do things unilaterally just because he or she says so!

This is just inaccurate. Not only the president, but also many political appointees and some senior SESs have unilateral authority to declassify. There are boundaries around that authority and the use of it can be challenged. But no, presidents dont have to ask a GS-9 for review and approval.

Nobody is suggesting the President (or anyone else with declassification authority) needs to get approval from a GS-9. That is just a red herring. But the way I have seen it work is that someone will say something needs to be declassified. Some GS-9 will have to write up the paperwork to get the Principal to sign off to actually declassify. As part of the paperwork preparation, s/he has to solicit the opinions of other offices with equities. Some might recommend against declassifying. The Principal looks through the objections (and those who think it’s a good idea) and signs off on the declassification documents if that is their decision. The recommendation to declassify can come from the declassification authority themselves or from anyone else who has access to those documents. What you don’t get to say is “that should be declassified” and not provide a paper trail so the whole government knows it’s declassified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does Trump have the authority to “declassify” anything he wants?

If he follows the process of having it properly processed, inventoried, reviewed, cleared and remarked per IC, NARA etc then yes.

But if the question is can he at any time wave a magic wand over a box of documents and declare it declassified, then the answer is absolutely not.

The idea that a bunch of bean counters get to usurp presidential powers is absurd. How do you stop said bean counters from simply not following through deliberately?

Said bean counters are staffers with clearance. They are there to make the Executive Branch function as a TEAM, and they provide guardrails. The President is not a monarch, and doesn't get to do things unilaterally just because he or she says so!

This is just inaccurate. Not only the president, but also many political appointees and some senior SESs have unilateral authority to declassify. There are boundaries around that authority and the use of it can be challenged. But no, presidents dont have to ask a GS-9 for review and approval.

Nobody is suggesting the President (or anyone else with declassification authority) needs to get approval from a GS-9. That is just a red herring. But the way I have seen it work is that someone will say something needs to be declassified. Some GS-9 will have to write up the paperwork to get the Principal to sign off to actually declassify. As part of the paperwork preparation, s/he has to solicit the opinions of other offices with equities. Some might recommend against declassifying. The Principal looks through the objections (and those who think it’s a good idea) and signs off on the declassification documents if that is their decision. The recommendation to declassify can come from the declassification authority themselves or from anyone else who has access to those documents. What you don’t get to say is “that should be declassified” and not provide a paper trail so the whole government knows it’s declassified.

Correct. Normal people know that's how it works. No lunatic President has ever tested the standard as 45 has. But the rabid fan base who wants to live in a dictatorship truly wants Trump to have all the powers, so they stomp their feet and blanket the airwaves to claim that if he so much as farts a declassification gas, then it's all right and he can bring nuclear info home and show it to the nice Chinese lady who was just walking to the pool.

[Anonymous]

Let's see if I get this right:
1 - There were no classified documents.
2 - And if there were any, the FBI planted them.
3 - But Trump declassified them, even though there weren't any.
4 - But her emails!
5 - Also, Obama.
6 - Regardless, the non-existent, declassified documents, planted by the FBI, were all returned earlier.

Did I forget something?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let's see if I get this right:
1 - There were no classified documents.
2 - And if there were any, the FBI planted them.
3 - But Trump declassified them, even though there weren't any.
4 - But her emails!
5 - Also, Obama.
6 - Regardless, the non-existent, declassified documents, planted by the FBI, were all returned earlier.

Did I forget something?

Yes. He needs more ketchup.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does Trump have the authority to “declassify” anything he wants?

If he follows the process of having it properly processed, inventoried, reviewed, cleared and remarked per IC, NARA etc then yes.

But if the question is can he at any time wave a magic wand over a box of documents and declare it declassified, then the answer is absolutely not.

The idea that a bunch of bean counters get to usurp presidential powers is absurd. How do you stop said bean counters from simply not following through deliberately?

Do you really believe that it would be OK for our national security to be so completely vulnerable that one POTUS has the power to completely do-in the country? Our system of government never put that much power in the hands of a single individual such that a treacherous and traitorous person in office could do whatever he wanted and sabotage us all.

There is no shortage of “conservatives” who adhere to the concept of “unitary executive.” Practically speaking, if the president does it then it can’t be illegal. Bill Barr was a big proponent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's see if I get this right:
1 - There were no classified documents.
2 - And if there were any, the FBI planted them.
3 - But Trump declassified them, even though there weren't any.
4 - But her emails!
5 - Also, Obama.
6 - Regardless, the non-existent, declassified documents, planted by the FBI, were all returned earlier.

Did I forget something?

Yes. He needs more ketchup.

and his staff needs more magic erasers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let's see if I get this right:
1 - There were no classified documents.
2 - And if there were any, the FBI planted them.
3 - But Trump declassified them, even though there weren't any.
4 - But her emails!
5 - Also, Obama.
6 - Regardless, the non-existent, declassified documents, planted by the FBI, were all returned earlier.

Did I forget something?

7 - “Pssst…Anything I can do to turn down the heat?”

[Anonymous]

This may have been covered before but I just saw the clip of de Santis (who I absolutely can’t stand), completely defend the DOJ and the FBI on Fox vs Sean Hannity and Lara Trump. He was not equivocating. Is he next week’s version of the GOP? Is he just hoping Trump goes down so that he can be the Republican nominee in ‘24.

Regardless I am still grateful he is defending what needed to be done from a national security standpoint.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let's see if I get this right:
1 - There were no classified documents.
2 - And if there were any, the FBI planted them.
3 - But Trump declassified them, even though there weren't any.
4 - But her emails!
5 - Also, Obama.
6 - Regardless, the non-existent, declassified documents, planted by the FBI, were all returned earlier.

Did I forget something?

Laptop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This may have been covered before but I just saw the clip of de Santis (who I absolutely can’t stand), completely defend the DOJ and the FBI on Fox vs Sean Hannity and Lara Trump. He was not equivocating. Is he next week’s version of the GOP? Is he just hoping Trump goes down so that he can be the Republican nominee in ‘24.

Regardless I am still grateful he is defending what needed to be done from a national security standpoint.

DeSantis is loving this. Once the full truth comes out, he's a shoe-in for '24. Defending the Feds gives him credibility with Republicans who still have half a brain, and the rest will default to him once Trump is obviously out of play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This may have been covered before but I just saw the clip of de Santis (who I absolutely can’t stand), completely defend the DOJ and the FBI on Fox vs Sean Hannity and Lara Trump. He was not equivocating. Is he next week’s version of the GOP? Is he just hoping Trump goes down so that he can be the Republican nominee in ‘24.

Regardless I am still grateful he is defending what needed to be done from a national security standpoint.

Surprising. This is obviously a great opportunity for him, but he’s got to be able to blame trump going down on the democrats so he can take trumps base.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This may have been covered before but I just saw the clip of de Santis (who I absolutely can’t stand), completely defend the DOJ and the FBI on Fox vs Sean Hannity and Lara Trump. He was not equivocating. Is he next week’s version of the GOP? Is he just hoping Trump goes down so that he can be the Republican nominee in ‘24.

Regardless I am still grateful he is defending what needed to be done from a national security standpoint.

Surprising. This is obviously a great opportunity for him, but he’s got to be able to blame trump going down on the democrats so he can take trumps base.

I feel the GOP are creating ads for Nov with their crazy behavior.

Should we create a list of Republicans that are running for reelection in November? See what their stance is for these current events.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let's see if I get this right:
1 - There were no classified documents.
2 - And if there were any, the FBI planted them.
3 - like most people, Trump can bring home papers from work, too.
4 - But Trump declassified them, even though there weren't any.
5 - But her emails!
6 - Also, Obama.
7 - Regardless, the non-existent, declassified documents, planted by the FBI, were all returned earlier.
8 - even though all the documents were returned earlier, we were cooperating in the effort to return the remaining documents.
9 - the GSA packed all that stuff up and how could I be expected to know what was in it?

Did I forget something?

FIFY

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do the trump faithful ever stop to think that there must be an awful lot of regular government employees spending all their time doing illegal things outside the scope of their jobs in order to take him down in order for all their theories to work?
1. People in the NY AGs office
2. People in SDNY
3. People in the Atlanta DAs office
4. People in the IRS
5. People in congressional offices
6. People in the IRS
7. People in DOJ

Government employees who got to work each day to do a job, collect a paycheck are not going to risk committing crimes to take Donnie down. They just aren’t. They need to pay their bills and feed their kids.

It’s time to stop suspending reality and admit that it’s one guy committing crimes not thousands committing crimes to frame him.

They say it's the "dep state" and they all should be fired anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This may have been covered before but I just saw the clip of de Santis (who I absolutely can’t stand), completely defend the DOJ and the FBI on Fox vs Sean Hannity and Lara Trump. He was not equivocating. Is he next week’s version of the GOP? Is he just hoping Trump goes down so that he can be the Republican nominee in ‘24.

Regardless I am still grateful he is defending what needed to be done from a national security standpoint.

Surprising. This is obviously a great opportunity for him, but he’s got to be able to blame trump going down on the democrats so he can take trumps base.

I feel the GOP are creating ads for Nov with their crazy behavior.

Should we create a list of Republicans that are running for reelection in November? See what their stance is for these current events.

I feel like they’re trying to create conditions for violence.