The real crime is the usurping of the law and justice system by the rogue DoJ and FBI …
It’s important to understand what is involved behind the scenes when it comes to POTUS and the disposition and handling of classified information, both as President and as a former President.
With regard to the legal and judicial aspects of President Trump’s handling of classified and all that has been put out in the media – most is all bullshit. Didn’t happen or didn’t happen the way is spun by the political left and by the Trump haters. Certainly, what has been addressed by legal experts such as Attorneys Mike Davis, Christopher Clark, Alan Dershowitz, Tom Fitton, and Boris Epshteyn is 100% correct and spot on. I’ll address my take regarding what is being stated in the media later in this piece.
First, it is absolutely critical regarding presidential access, transfer and holding and maintaining. All is federally regulated and articulated by law and long-standing national security policy. President Trump had a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) installed by the Federal Government in his home in Mar-a-Largo soon after he was elected President, in late 2016 in accordance with national security statutes and directives. In addition, Temporary SCIF were established in Trump Tower, NYC and at his residence at Bedminster, NJ, to accommodate President Trump during his time at these locations. This requirement is established in accordance with the National Security Act (1947), in accordance with Executive Order 12333 (Dec 4, 1981), Executive Order 13526 (Dec 29, 2009) and Intelligence Community Directive ICD 705-1 (Sep 17, 2010).
In fact, whenever a president is working from an off-site location, i.e., call it the Summer/Winter White House, whatever the case maybe, a SCIF is established to handle and store "classified" materials and communications capabilities, even when the POTUS travels to another domestic or foreign location and put up in a hotel or other accommodation a temporary SCIF established. When President Trump left the White House on January 20, 2021, the SCIF was already in place and operational at Mar-a-Largo, now his permanent residence.
When it comes to the transfer and movement of Presidential Records (in accordance with the Presidential Records Act (PRA)), those determined by POTUS and his staff that responsibility falls to essentially two offices within the White House. The White House National Security Council’s (NSC) “Office of the Secretariat” is responsible for maintaining and filing all Presidential national security records that include documents, correspondence, reports, etc. Everything. When the outgoing President departs, the NSC Secretariate conducts an audit, conducts a full accounting of all classified and unclassified national security records, and securely boxes up all "unclassified and classified documents" that the President and his NSC staff determines and designates that he wants to keep for future reference and purposes. All presidents have done so for decades. Record copies are maintained by the NSC Secretariate and duplicates of all records are subsequently provided to the U.S. Archives. The earmarked documents that will go with the outgoing President will be secured and manifested and flown to the predetermined final destination, in this case Mar-a-Largo. The boxed documents will be flown via a military transport or specially designated U.S. government aircraft with a required designated courier team to secure the movement of classified materials to the final destination. This is routine at the end of every Presidential administration. Everything is secure, accounted for, and documented via recorded inventory. It’s by the book.
Let me stress again -- everything that is classified is secured and hand-delivered and those documents are required to be secured in the SCIF by the special courier team that is responsible for bringing the material from the White House, upon arrival at Mar-a-Largo. NOTE: President Trump was not even involved in the movement of those documents, to include packing and unpacking. These documents are not just dumped anywhere. All are required to be “secured” in accordance with the regulatory requirements and national security directives. President Trump and those involved in the day-to-day handling, filing, transport and securing of documents were impeccable under the law and directives.
As it pertains to non-national security documents, information and materials that falls under the President's “Chief of Staff’s office.” The President’s Chief of Staff and his staff, is responsible for doing similar for essentially all non-classified, non-national security Presidential papers and related documents and material, and is a separate process which has other specific requirements, again in accordance with the PRA.
Once at Mar-a-Largo, the SCIF is protected 24/7 by the Secret Service who are required to conduct daily security checks and inspections of the SCIF multiple times a day, just like any other Facility that maintains classified. As a former President, Trump is entitled to have an administrative staff which will include certified intelligence officials as part of his staff to manage and maintain the SCIF at Mar-a-Large. All the documents that President Trump is authorized to have as a former POTUS are and have been maintained and secured (in the SCIF), IAW ICD Directives. It is maintained by a staff known as the "Office of the Former President." That staff all have the appropriate and required level of security clearances necessary to run the day-to-day business and operations, including managing the SCIF and all national security documents containing at all levels of security classification.
Under the Presidential Records Act and IAW other national security directives, the President can essentially do as he chooses with the documents, but they must be maintained and accounted for it they are still classified, which he has the authority to have as a former POTUS.
Declassification Requirements. One thing to understand is that once an intelligence document and the corresponding information contained in the document is declassified, it declassified everywhere – whether other copies are held by various intelligence agencies, the military services, the State Dept., etc. All agencies maintaining that information must be notified that the document has been declassified. Again, it should be remembered that the POTUS is the ultimate classification and declassification authority for the United States.
Let me make it clear of my Bonafede’s, my knowledge and experience over my military career and post military career involved work in extremely sensitive and critical highly compartmented secure environments, as well as participating in the most sensitive military and intelligence missions, operations, and activities, of which 99.5% remain highly classified. There are few who would even have the slightest clue and knowledge of the aspect and nature of any of such activities. All required validation via strict non-disclosure agreements with the host entity.
I served on the NSC staff as a USAF Major in multiple capacities. As the Military Aide to the National Security Advisor. As a functional and regional expert to the White House Situation Room. Also, in two highly sensitive additional duty roles; as the Custodian for Special Access Programs (SAPs) for the NSC and Executive Branch of Government as the ‘single-point of access’ to all SAPs within the United States Government. These are programs ‘above Top Secret SCI’ that involved the most extreme closely protected sensitive programs, operations, and activities conducted and executed by the U.S. military and the intelligence community. A number of which I was involved in my career, although not while on the White House NSC staff. It was part of that prerequisite for being brought on to the NSC staff. I’ve signed hundreds of NDS (non-disclosure statements), as a result of that access.
Another extremely sensitive position/responsibility on the NSC staff that I was appointed as an additional duty because of collateral responsibilities was as an assistant to the Director for Continuity of Government, which is the plan for the President and Senior Government officials and Elected members of Congress in the likelihood of a nuclear conflagration.
A third fulltime responsibility that I performed on the NSC staff was as a member of the NSC’s “Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict Committee,” a special four-member committee responsible for recommending the use of the “National Force” in the case of national emergency/crisis situation. We had to be available 24/7 to review the need to recommend in coordination with the Pentagon (SecDef, Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, and the Commander, USSOCOM) to the Commander-in-Chief the deployment of select JSOC Tier-1 forces.
In numerous cases, I was regularly tasked with responsibility to carry the President's classified material during his travels -- to his vacation home, Camp David, or on official travel with him. There was always and required a full accounting (certified receipts of all documents) prior to departure, during the official travel and upon return to the White House.
Likewise, I should note that as part of a number of my military and intelligence community assignments, I have been required to have a designated room in my home to be set-up to serve as a class-III SCIF. This was to meet the need and facilitate the requirement for the purpose of my position to have and maintain the installation of special classified communications equipment in my home. This was necessary to allow me to have immediate access on a 24/7 basis in accordance with my duties and responsibilities.
NOW FOR THE MEDIA I don't believe 99% of the stories in the media that alleges Trump mishandled classified information or that classified material was thrown all around his Mar-a-Largo residence in various rooms and elsewhere. It’s clear and more than obvious, that the Biden FBI staged photos of alleged classified documents (under various classified cover sheets) that were strategically thrown-on (placed) on the floor. That was a deliberate pre-arranged set-up for the purpose of a photo-op to imply recklessness and irresponsibility on the part of President Trump. It’s false and a malicious display of a truly flagrant and unprofessional act by a quite frankly politicized out-of-control FBI. This is literally Gestapo/Staci tactics at its best. Worse, it is blatant and in-your-face arrogance. Understand, the Biden Regime and Executive Branch staff are corrupt and maintain a “special kind of careless" – they on their own have deliberately mishandled classified for ulterior criminal motives. The documents Biden had at his home where certainly, no doubt the work of Anthony Blinken and others senior Obama-Biden administration officials who are complicit with the rogue dealings from the bogus set-up of the Univ of PA think tank, Ukraine, and China (for Hunter's dealings).
Likewise, Hillary Clinton used her office as Secretary of State primarily to access classified information to in turn be provided to her Bill Clinton and his Clinton Foundation operatives -- to be used to entrap, blackmail, and extort Billions of dollars from international business executives, senior foreign government officials, and foreign Heads of State to fill the coffers of the Clinton Foundation. As far as Obama is concerned and or involved – he is and used both Clinton and Biden to do his dirty work around the world, so as to keep his hands clean. But they're ALL disgustingly dirty. And believe me, I’m just scratching the surface. And I haven’t even addressed the efforts involved in the FISA abuses and operation Crossfire Hurricane, by Obama, Biden and Clinton.
Again, all the stories in the mainstream media about how bad Trump is are planted lies and have been corroborated by the DoJ, FBI, CIA, and other Biden operatives -- all in an effort to get Trump. It is literally the greatest abuse of a nation’s assets and resources in the history of the world.
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Jim Waurishuk, Colonel, USAF (Ret.)
Retired USAF Colonel, serving 30-years as a Tactical Air Control Party (TAC-P), Special Reconnaissance, and Special Mission Strategic Intelligence Officer to multiple Tier 1 units as part of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and USSOCOM. Served as Chief, Psychological Operations - Strategic Influence JCS/National Command Authority. Served as Deputy Director for Intelligence U.S. Central Command, and on the White House National Security Council (NSC) staff. Former Chairman, Hillsborough County Republican Party and the Republican Party of Florida Executive Board. Chairman, Program on Fifth Generation Warfare.