“Those classifications (which should not have been leaked, of course) come from pencil pushers; that is, hired bureaucrats assigned those classifications to the documents. There is only one person in the land who can officially classify and declassify documents, and that is the President of the United States. He gets that plenary power through the Constitution and the will of We the People, who elected him.”
Although POTUS is the ultimate classification authority, there are thousands of “classification authorities” (people who can determine the classification level of a document), and they range from senior NCOs to general officers and civilians with the appropriate clearance and training.
Their power to classify is a delegated power that flows from the President.
“Although POTUS is the ultimate classification authority, there are thousands of “classification authorities” (people who can determine the classification level of a document), and they range from senior NCOs to general officers and civilians with the appropriate clearance and training.”
The President is the ONLY person who can classify and declassify anything. Everyone else (in the executive branch) has the power delegated to them under authority from The President.
No bureaucrat can classify something and say, “ah ha! The President violated my classification!” It’s impossible under the Constitution.
No court can overrule it.
The End.