Technically I don’t think they declassify it, but they can release the contents if they so desire.
Back in the 50’s my dad had a security clearance, and at one point worked on a highly classified project that he said about 10 people, including the President, knew the full details of. A few months after my dad’s involvement with the project ended he heard the President talk about it during a state of the union address.
The next day when he got to work there was a memo waiting for him saying that under no circumstances was he to confirm, deny, or even talk about anything he may have heard the President talk about.
The project remained classified for years after that day because it involved national defense. The President spoke about it to let the USSR know what our capabilities were, but not the specifics of how we did it.
It was the 1950s version of Star Wars. As my dad put it decades after the fact, it was a project to “identify, track, and destroy a hostile satellite”. It was a direct response to Sputnik.
the president can literally do whatever he wants with the only recourse being if congress decides to punish him. he could kill trump tomorrow and as long as the congress leaves him be, its legal as an ‘official act’.
The conservative court would just rule it wasn’t an official act and say he could be prosecuted for it. They have no qualms with contradicting themselves for whatever political goal they are seeking to achieve.
Yes. A President can declassify documents, but there’s a process to it.
It’s part of the whole debate about the Trump classified docs case. He essentially claimed he secretly declassified them, which is of course stupid and not a thing.
Honest question, can the POTUS unilaterally declassify something like that?
Yes they can, it’s actually what Trump is trying to insist he did do in the classified documents case, which he did not.
Technically I don’t think they declassify it, but they can release the contents if they so desire.
Back in the 50’s my dad had a security clearance, and at one point worked on a highly classified project that he said about 10 people, including the President, knew the full details of. A few months after my dad’s involvement with the project ended he heard the President talk about it during a state of the union address.
The next day when he got to work there was a memo waiting for him saying that under no circumstances was he to confirm, deny, or even talk about anything he may have heard the President talk about.
The project remained classified for years after that day because it involved national defense. The President spoke about it to let the USSR know what our capabilities were, but not the specifics of how we did it.
Now I want to know what project it was
It was the 1950s version of Star Wars. As my dad put it decades after the fact, it was a project to “identify, track, and destroy a hostile satellite”. It was a direct response to Sputnik.
So aliens, got it.
That will be the takeaway for everyone reading this.
Dishonest answer: WITH THEIR MINDS
Yes. As far as I have read. Also that goes double now that SCOTUS has made almost anything the president does legal.
Just read it out loud during a state of the union address
apparently, just by thinking about it. yes.
the president can literally do whatever he wants with the only recourse being if congress decides to punish him. he could kill trump tomorrow and as long as the congress leaves him be, its legal as an ‘official act’.
The conservative court would just rule it wasn’t an official act and say he could be prosecuted for it. They have no qualms with contradicting themselves for whatever political goal they are seeking to achieve.
Yes. A President can declassify documents, but there’s a process to it.
It’s part of the whole debate about the Trump classified docs case. He essentially claimed he secretly declassified them, which is of course stupid and not a thing.