[angkor]

Depending as usual on the naivete of the American Public and the MSM, AP fails to mention that all classification and declassification authority derives solely and absolutely from the President Of The United States, not from some nitwit cabal of Beltway reporters, bureaucratic leakers, and K Street lawyers.

By definition, when the President authorizes any change in classification, his order trumps any other person, position, or institution. The President cannot "leak" or delegate "leaking" to his subordinates.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 12958: CLASSIFIED NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION

Sec. 1.4. Classification Authority. (a) The authority to classify information originally may be exercised only by:

(1) the President;

(2) agency heads and officials designated by the President in the Federal Register; or

(3) United States Government officials delegated this authority pursuant to paragraph (c), below.

[rhombus]

A liberal will ask "is declassifying the same as leaking"? It will be argued that if information is leaked, it isn't necessarily declassified.

[BJClinton]

Bump for reference.