Posted on 12/09/2016 11:49:08 PM PST by eastforker
Does the President have access to all classified info ? Does anyone here even know??
Just wondering if anyone has access to all classified information.
The Army began Operation Bride-Venona in 1943 to break Soviet cables. They never told FDR or Truman because they didn’t trust them. They finally told Eisenhower when he became President in 1953.
A buddy of mine worked in radars and countermeasures for a university research group for a while as a freshly minted EE in the early 80s. Member of the Black Crow Society and all that.
He used to call Aviation Week “Leak of the Week.”
SCI-Specialized Compartmentalized Instruction was created back when 2 traitors defected to the USSR back in the 50’s. So, no, no one knows everything ...
If the “Disclosure Officer” was not cleared for Project Omega, then he then he could not disclose anything; further, mentioning the name of a classified project to an uncleared person is a felony.
You analogy fails. But nice try. People in the classified world are extremely paranoid about disclosing anything to any one, President or not, without strict ‘need to know’ guidelines and even then not everything may be disclosed as the ‘disclosing officer’ has some personal discretion as to who the info actually goes - like in the case of Pearl Harbor: the ‘disclosing officer’ saw fit not to include PH as a possible target, and not to notify the base commander until some time had passed and then the info was delivered by Western Union on a bicycle 8 hours after the attack began.
Some time protecting Means and Methods outweighs disclosure, regardless of someone’s station. However, since Eddy Snowjob’s theft of US Method and Means of Intel collection, there is little left to conceal that both Russia and China do not now know.
Excellent quote for the discussion.
That does not mean that he could disclose classified information (for example, even the POTUS is subject to the prohibition of disclosing the identity of covert agents 50 USC §3121).
Likewise don't believe that he could demand to see the medical records of individuals (HIPAA Privacy Rule) as well as other types of non-classified sensitive information.
Having said that, though, I would think there is certain information that he would not WANT to know (particularly "down in the weeds" information)...because once he knows the information, he's responsible to protect that information.
During Ike’s presidency, the CIA tried to keep Area 51 ongoings secret to him. Ike told him, that if they do not tell him what is going on there, he will order the army to invade it.
Define “access”. I would posit that legally there is nothing that is forbidden for the President to see. Functionally I would posit that there is so much out there that no one person (or even agency) could possibly be aware of it all so there is some that is effectively out of reach.
; )
I have no doubt about his disloyalty to the United States and his willingness to share all to anyone with $$ or his beliefs when he leaves.
...problem being our current president has in his inner circle people who do not have the interests of the country at heart... Quite the opposite.
The POS has access to just about all....although
his ability to understand 90% of it only opens
the security of the country to others for translation (for the juvenile) so major decisions
are not going to be his.....think, mooslem brotherhood for example
the President has access to all information he requests.
of course... he has to know the information or subject matter exists in order to request it.
for instance, just saying ‘tell me about area 51’ wouldn’t get you all the information about area 51. it’d be a selective high level overview of the daily goings on... which would never cover what was going on in hanger 6, subbasement 3. As such, the President would never know the project name, budget, equipment, personnel, or goals being carried out in that area.
The POTUS does not have access to all classified TS compartmentalized information. This is essentially due to the outsourcing of the US Military to private organizations, who are not beholden to anything but technology and government contracts. The last POTUS to have full access threaten to send an army division to wipe them out is he wasn’t granted access, and that was Eisenhower.
“Wonder what he learned....at that 1st interview ....looks shook to me”
I noticed that. He truly appeared rattled by the meeting. I wonder what they told him.
The President and the appropriate cabinet secretaries have full access to anything for which they have a need to know. There are roughly 10 people in the country with this highest level of supervisory access. I would imagine they could ask for access to information not in the immediate purview of their offices.
Hillary Clinton as SOS had the highest access. Her email scheme allowed this sensitive information to fall into enemy hands, as evidenced when an Iranian scientist she had emailed about suddenly went from hero to execution after she sent it around to her totally uncleared aides, the IT guy and anybody who wanted to enter her unsecured system.
Israel stopped sharing the provenance of their information with the CIA after Carter was asked at a state diner why he had done something. He answered, “well we know through Kaddafi’s brother in law that (xxx.)” The brother in law, an Israeli agent, was arrested and dead by dawn.
In WW2 a senator asked the Navy why the Japanese had sunk so few submarines. He was told the Japs were setting their depth charges too shallow. The Senator bragged to the papers that the Japs were stupidly setting their depth charges too shallow. We immediately began losing subs because, the Japs can read.
You would think the intelligence apparatus would properly vet the people who get clearances. But the clearances for top Administration people are political and come with the job.
I believe he has access to anything he wants. Who is going to tell the president he can’t know something? How can he make decisions without having all the information?
The Supreme Court has never directly addressed the extent to which Congress may constrain the executive branch’s power in this area. Citing the President’s constitutional role as Commander-in-Chief, the Supreme Court has repeatedly stated in dicta that “[the President’s] authority to classify and control access to information bearing on national security ... flows primarily from this Constitutional investment of power in the President and exists quite apart from any explicit congressional grant.” This language has been interpreted by some to indicate that the President has virtually plenary authority to control classified information. On the other hand, the Supreme Court has suggested that “Congress could certainly [provide] that the Executive Branch adopt new [classification procedures] or [establish] its own procedures—subject only to whatever limitations the Executive Privilege may be held to impose on such congressional ordering.” In fact, Congress established a separate regime in the Atomic Energy Act for the protection of nuclear-related “Restricted Data.”
Congress has directed the President to establish procedures governing the access to classified material so that no person can gain such access without having undergone a background check.
PDF document of the overview of the legal framework from which the above was taken from.
You can read the relevant statutes regarding disclosure here.
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