Posted on 09/26/2015 10:19:44 AM PDT by Jonty30
Is everything that is sent to the Secretary of State classified by default?
I would be surprised if the answer was no, because even mundane information can be revealing to enemies who.need to know.
Thank you.
Likely to be so, but the real reason HIllary is protecting is the many emails that did not have to be classified that might reveal her shenanigans, like payoffs, clinton foundation work, etc.
No.. not everything is classified and there’s different email servers and requirements for classified information.
On a classified server, emails are marked as such based on their classification but that doesn’t mean you can’t send classified information over a non-secured server which is what Clinton appears to have done and her BS story about never sending or receiving anything marked classified could be easily true but just because it’s not marked as such doesn’t mean the information isn’t classified. It’s the content of the email that makes it classified.
I’m a businessman. My employees do not discuss our company business with others. Period. They sure don’t discuss it with the competition and I’d hate to this our workplace was bugged. And, we don’t do anything top secret or involving national security.
A SOS who opens the door to this is at a minimum, stupid, and in HRC’s case, an as yet unconvicted criminal.
And I hope all this comes back to bite HRC in her very ample ass.
Oh, I know that. She probably sold classified information to.the highest bidder. I’m just arguing with a leftist. He thinks mundane information is not important, by I think that the right set of eyes can glean a lot from routine and boring emails.
A request for a box of doughnuts, for example that Hilary likes doughnuts and can arrange for her to eat poisoned donuts or there would be information as to where those doughnuts were coming from or going to.
Not by default.
You could email the Sec — “Are you free for lunch?” and that wouldn’t be classified.
One type of classified info is classified strictly by its own contents: “No guards available for embassy duty tonight. If the enemy attacks between 12 and 4 AM we are totally screwed. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.” that would be very sensitive info.
Other information becomes classified if aggregated:
Message #1 — “Nuclear Launch codes shifted to computer code-named OMEGA” — possibly not classified because this is not really actionable information by itself — knowing the name gives you nothing.
Message #2 — “Computer named OMEGA has IP address 11.111.111.111. It’s the one in rm 307 in building 1784. Have a great day.” — in normal circumstances, this info might not be interesting. The location of computer? Who cares? But combined with the previous message, this becomes highly classified.
People in Hillary’s position know all of this. They are trained regularly. One piece of email may be fine. A second piece of email may also be fine. But put them together, and it’s a big deal. This is PRECISELY why an uncontrolled email server with stuff coming and going willy-nilly is strictly against the rules. You CANNOT ever say that nothing classified was on it. Because the aggregate of information is not under your control. It’s a straightup vulnerability.
Not necessarily. ‘secret’ information (that which ends up being classified) can be mundane and would seem unimportant to the outside world. There are obvious things that even the dunce in the room would recognize.
It NEVER has to be marked it is content driven. Markings come later on down the line.
I thought this was about Kerry... :)
Mundane or not, if it’s marked as classified, there is a legal obligation to handle and protect it as such. “Mundane” is subjective and how one protects classified isn’t.
Headline ...
Hmmmmm, which one hellary or johann sebastian kerry?
It would be more likely that a given communication would be classified than not.
Good point, by the way.
I do not know the answer to your question but it seems that out of common sense, anything that the SoS emails, personal or not, would be classified regardless of the content.
Anything else would be and is stupidity.
Put another way, some people seem to think that something “becomes” classified because it gets marked classified. This is simply not the case. Classified information IS classified because of its sensitivity. Just a simple fact. Now, to make life easier for people, documents can be stamped TOP SECRET and emails can be flagged as SENSITIVE and that’s all great. But these things were classified before they were stamped or flagged. The sensitivity comes first. Then — because they are sensitive and classified — they should get marked.
But the markings are tools. They are not a determining factor as to whether or not something cannot be revealed to the enemy.
If I have a document which states that the US is bluffing and will not actually consider carrying out the attack which it is threatening tpo carry out — that’s just flatout bad information to reveal to the enemy. Doesn’t matter if I forgot to stamp it CLASSIFIED. The information is classified no matter what I did or did not do.
bite HRC in her very ample ass.
Bad mental picture, and furthermore pork is not halal (not to insult porks).
Even the Secy’s calendar and daily schedule is considered classified info.
A Secy’s comings and goings would be valuable info in the wrong hands.
Much of what ANY Secretary of State deals with, if not classified, may be considered extremely sensitive, and its disclosure may result in serious disruption of diplomatic relations.
This is why much of the information is transmitted by courier and NEVER entrusted to electronic transmission, no matter how urgent the situation. While the courier COULD be intercepted and the documents stolen, it is easier to guard against such a detainment than to plug all the potential leaks in the Internet or other forms of electronic data transmission.
Apparently, information sent to and from diplomats is automatically considered to be at some level of classification. It’s not like the handling rules most of us are accustomed to in the military and intel worlds.
This was explained in an article last month:
“This sort of information, which the department says Clinton both sent and received in her emails, is the only kind that must be “presumed” classified, in part to protect national security and the integrity of diplomatic interactions, according to U.S. regulations examined by Reuters.”
See http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/21/us-usa-election-clinton-emails-idUSKCN0QQ0BW20150821
Everything out of her mouth is presumed to be classified unless downgraded.
She $hits classified material.
If info is classified, it is sent via a secure network.
If this info ends up on a non-secure network and is discovered the law requires that the un-classified network be shut down and secured until an investigation is conducted.
The President knows this, the White House staff knows this, the Secretary of State knows this. Every employee who holds a clearance knows this.
All the above is easily obtainable information so I don't know why the press and Congress aren't calling for a criminal investigation of the entire State Department.
Intelligence isn’t just words on a screen or paper.
Intelligence also consists of learning what your enemy knows or does not know about things.
It consists of knowing what your enemy says to confidants.
The real treasure to our enemies wasn’t some e-mails. The real treasure was having access to the thoughts of America’s Secretary of State.
And she gave our enemies access to that.
Traitor.
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