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Which I love because I'm a Bernie supporter. feel the bern.
You right wingers think you've got dems pegged on Hillary? Think again. Most of us don't like her at all. We are just really glad that your side prepared all of the attack ads for her.
Have fun while we run away with the election because he is the right guy for the right job.
I'd rather have Bernie Sanders than Hillary any day. At least he's honest, and I agree with him on some things. I think people will be shocked when they find the taxes on the rich won't fund everything he wants though. To have European socialism, we will have to have European taxation. That means EVERYONE pays taxes.
Your last sentence seems to be the most telling. It would be up to the president to decide. So if the president likes her and they are political allies, then nothing would happen. However, if he didn't like her, something would happen.
Does that seem right?
Why would you think the President would not be an even arbiter between his own hand-picked SecDef and his own hand-picked SecState for the good of the nation?
Last edited by Ralph_Kirk; 08-18-2015 at 06:02 AM..
Given her "snapchat" comment, she doesn't have a clue. In an attempt to be funny, she proved that she thinks she's above the law and has no respect for the ongoing investigation (which continues to uncover more and more lies). And this dame wants to be president?
So she can decide to declassify information at her discretion.
That is what Original Classification Authority means. That's what an OCA can do.
When I was in the business, the president or vice-president could reveal classified information in a press conference, and the next day we would all be literally re-marking our documents with pen-and-ink to reflect that the information was no longer classified. That's because they are Original Classification Authorities.
Each Department secretary is the Original Classification Authority for his own department, but remember that they are all equal with equal authority, so one might very well decide to butt heads with another, and if there has to be arbitration between them, that would be done by the president. But in real life, it would not come to that. One secretary's staff would have a serious conversation with the other secretary's staff and they would come to an agreement.
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That is great. We are supposed to swallow that she can wave her wand and magically say there was no classified info on her server because she made it so. It really comes down to what the definition of is, is.
An Original Classification Authority could do that--an OCA has the authority to that. In fact, they have done it in the past--revealed TOP SECRET information to foreign officials to prove some diplomatic point. One time in particular in the 90s it really ticked me off because it ruined a couple of years of my own work. In the same way, the SecDef can downgrade CIA TOP SECRET information to SECRET or less to get it to troops in the field, if he thinks it will help them win the war.
But even beyond that, the regulations on handling classified information do not require it to be held by government. The regulations require specific handling and transmission protections, but there is no law preventing a SecDef from setting up an appropriately protected private server. Defense contractors do it all the time with DoD classified information. The government even uses civilian courier services for classified information, if they have the ability to store and handle it according to the regulations. Even if the SecDef was using a private server, he only has to show--at most--that it was operating with the proper level of information protection.
That is what Original Classification Authority means. That's what an OCA can do.
When I was in the business, the president or vice-president could reveal classified information in a press conference, and the next day we would all be literally re-marking our documents with pen-and-ink to reflect that the information was no longer classified. That's because they are Original Classification Authorities.
Each Department secretary is the Original Classification Authority for his own department, but remember that they are all equal with equal authority, so one might very well decide to butt heads with another, and if there has to be arbitration between them, that would be done by the president. But in real life, it would not come to that. One secretary's staff would have a serious conversation with the other secretary's staff and they would come to an agreement.
An Original Classification Authority could do that--an OCA has the authority to that. In fact, they have done it in the past--revealed TOP SECRET information to foreign officials to prove some diplomatic point. One time in particular in the 90s it really ticked me off because it ruined a couple of years of my own work. In the same way, the SecDef can downgrade CIA TOP SECRET information to SECRET or less to get it to troops in the field, if he thinks it will help them win the war.
But even beyond that, the regulations on handling classified information do not require it to be held by government. The regulations require specific handling and transmission protections, but there is no law preventing a SecDef from setting up an appropriately protected private server. Defense contractors do it all the time with DoD classified information. The government even uses civilian courier services for classified information, if they have the ability to store and handle it according to the regulations. Even if the SecDef was using a private server, he only has to show--at most--that it was operating with the proper level of information protection.
It is being reported that over 300 documents were potentially classified and this is from the limited bunch that are being reviewed. I get that she had the authority (and agree that its necessary for sec level employees to have this discretion)- its the reasoning of convenience that is bothering me. Convenience and CYA should never be an excuse to declassify sensitive information.
It is being reported that over 300 documents were potentially classified and this is from the limited bunch that are being reviewed. I get that she had the authority (and agree that its necessary for sec level employees to have this discretion)- its the reasoning of convenience that is bothering me. Convenience and CYA should never be an excuse to declassify sensitive information.
At that level, the distinction between necessity and convenience can be very a very thin and gray line. For instance, why do generals have personal parking spaces? Because we can't afford for generals to spend their time looking for a parking space (although the same thing goes for First Sergeants).
Given her "snapchat" comment, she doesn't have a clue. In an attempt to be funny, she proved that she thinks she's above the law and has no respect for the ongoing investigation (which continues to uncover more and more lies). And this dame wants to be president?
You got any examples of these questionable emails?
At that level, the distinction between necessity and convenience can be very a very thin and gray line. For instance, why do generals have personal parking spaces? Because we can't afford for generals to spend their time looking for a parking space (although the same thing goes for First Sergeants).
In my opinion covering your pant-suited ass is not an acceptable reason to declassify info. If this is the standard we go by in the future we are in deep do-do.
In my opinion covering your pant-suited ass is not an acceptable reason to declassify info. If this is the standard we go by in the future we are in deep do-do.
I haven't seen details about what has or hasn't been declassified or if even that's the specific issue in this case.
My point is that:
1. The SecState has complete legal authority over classified State Department information. The Secretary can decide when, what, and to whom classified information is divulged, downgraded, or declassified in his own department.
2. No law prohibits Department Secretaries from designating non-governmental storage and handling of classified information, as long as it is stored and handled according to regulated specifications. DoD does it all the time.
3. Even if Department Secretaries break another department's rules, they are co-equal so it's not at all legally clear that one Department Secretary is legally constrained by another Department's rules. In the DoD, we downgraded CIA information for the troops whenever we thought necessary--often to CIA's consternation. I was in the room one time when the Admiral in charge of PACOM intelligence literally told a CIA chief of station, "Bite me" over something the CIA did not want downgraded.
So there is no slam-dunk "Hillary is going to prison" over this issue.
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feel the bern.
Hillary Clinton may be going to prison.
