Maybe its time that we address the the people who secure these documents.

[slater71]

Biden and Trump will both walk on this. They will never charge Trump with his document issue. They could charge him with obstruction but won`t happen. Biden has given Trump his get out of jail free card. But this document problem has to be addressed. It seems to me that the people who are in charge of these secret documents don`t know what they are doing. I believe that they don`t know what documents are missing. Why? I would think that a president checks out a document and does not return it, they must not ask where is this document you took out a month ago.
When a president leaves office they should be a list of documents that they did not return. Also no president or anyone should be allowed to keep these files. Neither one of them should have had any papers. But I would also bet that the people in charge of the archives don`t have a clue as to what is missing and that is troublesome.

[gab13by13]

1. Get ready,

you are about to be told that the National Archives is not a lending institution.

I still believe that my local library has better record keeping and chain of custody.

[cilla4progress]

2. Typical mismanagement, if you've ever worked for an employer whether government or private

with less than proper follow through.

I'd rather see tfg go down on his guilty acts around the election, myself.

[global1]

3. Where Does A Classified US Document Begin? - Note: A Repost From The Other Day.....

It seems to me that almost any agency in the government can issue a classified document.

If not - which agencies or government departments can issue a classified document? I don't believe that the National Archives issues classified documents - nor do I believe that any agency or department that issues a classified document has to first send it to the National Archives to distribute it.

So - what is the responsibility of the issuing agency or department when they issue such a document? How do they determine which level of classification gets assigned to such a document? Do they have to inform the National Archives that they issued a classified document?

How is the National Archives able to track a classified document - if it is not first informed by the issuing agency or department that issued it? So who is to track a classified document?

If it's not like the National Archives issues these documents - how can they be responsible for tracking them?

With the questions I'm asking here in this post - one could see that this whole thing is more complicated than meets the eye.

I've read here where people say that a library is more efficient in tracking their materials than that of the National Archives. But know that a library has more control - because any materials they track start and end within their premises. Not so with the National Archives.

It seems to me that the responsibility for the tracking of a classified document either starts with the issuing agency or department or the receiving governmental body that receives the classified document - and that it is the issuer or receivers responsibility to pass that info on to the National Archives.

I can't believe that such a complicated system couldn't let some classified documents slip between the cracks.

It seems like we're comparing 'apples and oranges' here when they try and compare the finding of the Biden documents with the knowingly and wantonly taking and concealing the documents that were attributed to Tr**p.

In the open Tr**p has admitted taking classified documents. He said he believes they are his property. He's told us that he declassified them in his head. He told us that he had returned all the classified documents. More classified materials were found after he told us that he returned them. And I believe til today - there suspicions that there are more classified documents in his possession that he still hasn't returned. He didn't cooperate with this from the beginning and he's still seemingly sandbagging this whole investigation. In my mind - he's obstructing and not cooperating like Biden and his people are.

Apples and oranges!!!

[Delmette2.0]

4. It shouldn't be very difficult.

We have the technology to track anything.

Cell phones have been tracked across the country. I remember a map showing where all the attendees to Spurgis traveled from during the first big COVID outbreak.

Cell phones can place a phone/person within 50 feet. Thatt was on maps of the Capital on Jan 6.

When my portable oxygen tanks are delivered the delivery person has several screens to review before I have to sign off on the receipt. This is on a special electronic tablet.

We have location tags we can put in our luggage.



The issuing agency starts the process by entering a document number, ID # of the delivery person and name of the recipient and the Archives are notified of the date and expected recipient. Every time the document changes hands someone signs off and someone accepts delivery.

This goes on until until the document is received by the Archives.

And the issuing agency and the Archives can track all documents.

I know there are a boatload of details in between. I just think this process is not impossible.

[bedazzled]

5. The best thing Biden can do is to investigate this immediately

Figure out why the system isn't working and why. It seemingly worked for a long time, so who isn't doing their job now? It's obviously been broken for quite a while.

[Genki Hikari]

6. The process is decentralized

As it should be. That will NOT be changing.

What's needed is better training in the executive branch about handling classified material. In the military, the importance of protecting and properly handling classified material was drilled into us constantly. It starts in basic training, and it follows us throughout our military careers. Even in the USPS, those of us who were handling registered mail (including being the carrier of some classified information) had constant training about process and procedures and all that.

Some of the problem may be that new administrations are trying to in-process a whole bunch of employees with no relevant experience with classified materials, and whoever is training them doesn't have a lot of time to impart everything they need to know for their jobs. A lot of it is undoubtedly learning under the gun.

Future White Houses may need to funnel all classified documents going in or out through someone (or a group of someones) with military, intel or other such background that had a great deal of experience with classified information. That person (or group) would be responsible for logging all classified data coming in, and then make sure during the transition process that anything which still hasn't show up as going out is accounted for.