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Trump tweeted highly classified satellite photo in 2019
Arutz Sheva ^ | 18/11/22 | Elad Benari

Posted on 11/19/2022 7:40:30 AM PST by Eleutheria5

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency on Friday formally declassified an image then-US President Donald Trump tweeted in 2019 of a highly classified satellite photograph depicting the site of a failed Iranian rocket launch.

NPR reported that the NGA declassified the image after a “grueling Pentagon-wide review to determine whether the briefing slide it came from could be shared with the public” in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from the radio network.

Many details on the original image remain redacted – a clear sign that Trump was sharing some of the US government's most prized intelligence on social media, said Steven Aftergood, specialist in secrecy and classification at the Federation of American Scientists.

"He was getting literally a bird's eye view of some of the most sensitive US intelligence on Iran," he told NPR. "And the first thing he seemed to want to do was to blurt it out over Twitter."

In August of 2019, Iran attempted to fire a rocket which exploded on its launch pad at a space center in northern Iran.

A day later, Trump wrote on Twitter that the United States was not involved with the failed rocket launch.

“The United States of America was not involved in the catastrophic accident during final launch preparations for the Safir SLV Launch at Semnan Launch Site One in Iran,” he wrote, adding, “I wish Iran best wishes and good luck in determining what happened at Site One.”

The tweet included a satellite image...

(Excerpt) Read more at israelnationalnews.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; Political Humor/Cartoons; US: District of Columbia
KEYWORDS: 2019; 201908; 20190829; 20190830; aftergood; americanscientists; b1; b2; classified; coldwar; cpusa; creepstate; deepstate; defundnpr; defundpbs; districtofcolumbia; doj; explosion; fas; fbi; federation; fib; ifstone; iran; iranians; jeffbezos; jeremystone; jfk; kgb; kgbagent; launch; launchpad; launchsite; launchsiteone; leahy; leaks; leakyleahy; merrickgarland; missiles; nga; npr; pbs; policestate; rocket; rocketlaunch; safir; safirslv; safirslvlaunch; scientists; semnan; semnanlaunchsiteone; singlepartystate; sovietunion; sr71; stealth; stealthtechnology; stevenaftergood; stone; thermalrockets; trump; tweet; ussr; washingtoncompost; washingtonpost
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To: Eleutheria5

The President has sole classification authority, which is narrowly delegated, generally at the Cabinet secretary level. The individuals creating security classification guides are not the secretaries, but without their signatures, they are a legal nullity, and derive their authority directly from the President.


21 posted on 11/19/2022 8:02:18 AM PST by Lonesome in Massachussets (Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit.)
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To: Eleutheria5

Reagan released photos of a Soviet carrier against the wishes of the intel community. Showing the capability of keyhole satellites. Trump had the right a and did the right thing.


22 posted on 11/19/2022 8:03:34 AM PST by DesertRhino (Dogs are called man's best friend. Moslems hate dogs. Add it up..)
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To: Eleutheria5
Have they outlawed 'google Earth?' Yeah. I didn't think so. You can pretty much view any place in the world in real time. Why has this never been a problem?


23 posted on 11/19/2022 8:05:49 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set. )
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To: MeganC

“At this point any satellite image of anyplace in the world can easily be purchased online. It’s silly to think of these images as a ‘secret’. It’s not 1965 anymore.”

The military photos are higher resolution. It is not what is shown here but how good/bad our technology is.


24 posted on 11/19/2022 8:08:16 AM PST by TexasGator (!!!)
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To: Eleutheria5

If it was classified before he tweeted it, it became unclassified the second he hit “send.”

I mean, he was the President (for most of us anyway) after all . . .


25 posted on 11/19/2022 8:08:41 AM PST by MCSETots
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To: Eleutheria5

Exactly.

But our populace is too dumbed down in bulk to understand this.


26 posted on 11/19/2022 8:09:21 AM PST by 9YearLurker
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To: Eleutheria5

Did releasing them photo cause agents to get assassinated like the recent spy? Did the photo weaken our defense capabilities? Did it give clues to our military secrets?

If no then where is the crime? Just a letter of the law thing then why didn’t we go back and look for similar actions of Obama, Clinton, Bush, Carter….


27 posted on 11/19/2022 8:10:41 AM PST by Phoenix8
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To: Eleutheria5

yup....


28 posted on 11/19/2022 8:15:57 AM PST by Sacajaweau ( )
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To: Eleutheria5

This is a BS piece from the word go. The NGA does not declassify documents, they do not have the authority. They can recommend, but that decision is not in their hands.

The article says:

“The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency on Friday formally declassified an image then-US President Donald Trump tweeted in 2019 of a highly classified satellite photograph depicting the site of a failed Iranian rocket launch.”

It was not highly classified. I can imagine the amount of reporters there at the time. And even NPR did an article on the explosion August 29, 2019 10:57 AM ET, with picture.

https://www.npr.org/2019/08/29/755406765/iranian-rocket-launch-ends-in-failure-images-show

NPR reported that the NGA declassified the image after a “grueling Pentagon-wide review to determine whether the briefing slide it came from could be shared with the public” in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from the radio network.

Pentagon wide review? If the thing was that sensitive, then why did people who did not have the rating or the need to know get access to it?

And why did the picture for the article use a photo of Trump in front of a 2024 campaign commercial? Do the lies never end?

Wy69


29 posted on 11/19/2022 8:28:39 AM PST by whitney69
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To: Eleutheria5

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency on Friday formally declassified an image then-US President Donald Trump tweeted in 2019 of a highly classified satellite photograph depicting the site of a failed Iranian rocket launch


If someone in the Intelligence Agency gave these photo to the New York Times to publish it would be all okay with the media.

However if the President of the US does then it is “treason”.

The greatest strength of the left is first they have no standards and second they change the rules as it suits them.


30 posted on 11/19/2022 8:41:13 AM PST by CIB-173RDABN (I am not an expert in anything, and my opinion is just that, an opinion. I may be wrong.)
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To: MeganC
It’s not 1965 anymore.
Indeed.

Classified Military Surveillance Project Called ARGUS Unveiled

Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System (ARGUS-IS)

31 posted on 11/19/2022 8:41:28 AM PST by philman_36 (Pride breakfasted with plenty, dined with poverty and supped with infamy. Benjamin Franklin)
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To: TigerClaws
POTUS has the power to declassify anything.

Which, of course, is not the point.

Declassifying something doesn't make it less sensitive.

32 posted on 11/19/2022 8:47:23 AM PST by semimojo
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To: Eleutheria5

The story about Trump being in possession of nuclear secrets at Mar-A-Lago, and potentially selling them, has fallen through with even WaPo admitting there was nothing to it.

So, the media is moving on to the next smear story. Same M.O. as we’ve seen for the past 6-7 years.


33 posted on 11/19/2022 8:51:39 AM PST by Roadrunner383 (;)
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To: Eleutheria5

Jimmy Carter leaked the existence of the Stealth Bomber to counter his “weak-on-defense” image during his re-election campaign. The Dems defended it by saying that it had already been disclosed, but Carter’s leak pissed off a lot of DOD people who wanted to keep it under wraps.


34 posted on 11/19/2022 9:01:23 AM PST by Flash Bazbeaux
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To: Eleutheria5
Well, if Trump, as president in 2019, tweeted the photo, then it is no longer classified. It would be okay and more accurate to say that Trump declassified and tweeted a previously highly secret photo. Ah, but that would not be controversial.

How about why this photo was classified in the first place. Did it expose US technology, troops, or such? No. Were we trying to hide what was going on? I sure hope not.

35 posted on 11/19/2022 9:05:07 AM PST by Reno89519 (Respect America, Embrace America, Buy American, Hire American.)
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To: Eleutheria5

The Israel National News is concerned about US imaging capabilities being broadcast?

Two words: Jonathan Pollard


36 posted on 11/19/2022 9:10:56 AM PST by Regulator (It's fraud, Jim)
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To: Eleutheria5

Many people misunderstand the terms Original Classification Authority, Classified By, etc. that are supposed to appear on every piece of classified information in existence. (There is more information but the main two are the gist of it.)

What does that mean? There is ONE ultimate classification authority and ultimate RESPONSIBILITY, and that is the President of the United States, period. There are a few other to whom whose offices/positions are granted the authority to actually be the end classification authority for all of our classified information via regulations, directives, security classification guides, etc. But in the end, the ULTIMATE decider is the President. Like it or not, that’s how it is.


37 posted on 11/19/2022 9:11:30 AM PST by Gaffer
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To: Eleutheria5
I googled it and Wikipedia had a paragraph that tells me the who agency needs to be trimmed or completely shut down>
In addition to using GEOINT for U.S. military and intelligence efforts, NGA provides assistance during natural and man-made disasters, aids in security planning for major events such as the Olympic Games,[9] disseminates maritime safety information,[10] and gathers data on climate change.[11]
They need to give authority to the users of the material instead of keeping this third man clearing house of political Pull.
38 posted on 11/19/2022 9:27:10 AM PST by higgmeister (Ron DeSantis taught high school in Rome, Georgia in his gap year between Yale and Harvard.)
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To: Eleutheria5

39 posted on 11/19/2022 9:40:39 AM PST by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: Eleutheria5

“most prized intelligence”


ROFLMAO


40 posted on 11/19/2022 9:59:22 AM PST by logi_cal869 (-cynicus the "concern troll" a/o 10/03/2018 /!i!! &@$%&*(@ -)
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