6/8/2023 Washington, DC – Former President Donald Trump has defended his decision to take classified documents out of the White House and store them at his Mar-a-Lago estate, claiming that he knew the proper declassification process and followed it while in office.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News, Trump said that he had the authority to declassify any document he wanted, “even by thinking about it.”

“There doesn’t have to be a process, as I understand it. You know, there’s — different people say different things, but as I understand there doesn’t have to be. If you’re the president of the United States, you can declassify just by saying it’s declassified — even by thinking about it,” Trump said.

Trump’s remarks came after the FBI raided his Florida home last August and seized about 150 documents with classification markings, including some labeled as top secret. The documents reportedly contained sensitive information about national security, foreign policy and intelligence operations.

The FBI is investigating whether Trump violated any laws by removing the documents from the White House without proper authorization and clearance. The former president is also facing pressure from the National Archives, which is seeking to recover any remaining undisclosed documents in his possession and prevent him from destroying or altering them.

Trump’s lawyers have argued that he had a standing order that materials “removed from the Oval Office and taken to the residence were deemed to be declassified the moment he removed them,” according to a statement read on Fox News by Sean Hannity whom the former president has designated as one of his representatives to the National Archives.

However, no credible evidence has emerged that Trump issued any such order, and national security legal experts have dismissed the notion as “preposterous” and “absurd.”

“Presidents do have broad authority to declassify material, but there is a detailed process unlike what Trump described,” said Glenn Gerstell, a former general counsel for the National Security Agency.

Gerstell explained that the classification system is designed to protect the nation’s secrets from unauthorized disclosure that could harm national security. He said that presidents typically consult with the agencies that own or generate the information before declassifying it, and follow a set of rules laid out under executive order.

“It’s critically important that we don’t accidentally release information that, especially in the case of top secret information, could cause exceptionally grave damage to national security,” he said.

Trump, however, claimed that he did not need to consult with anyone or follow any rules because he was “the ultimate authority” on declassification.

“I know more than anybody else about declassification. I know more than the generals, more than the CIA, more than anybody. I’m a very smart person. I have a very good brain. I have the best words. Nobody knows declassification like me,” Trump boasted.

Trump also denied that he took any documents out of the White House for personal gain or malicious intent. He said that he only wanted to keep them as “souvenirs” and “memorabilia” of his presidency.

“I love these documents. They’re beautiful documents. They’re very special documents. They’re part of history. They’re part of me. I’m part of history. I’m part of America. I’m part of greatness,” Trump said.

Trump added that he planned to display some of the documents at his Mar-a-Lago club for his guests and supporters to admire.

“They’re going to love them. They’re going to be amazed by them. They’re going to say ‘Wow, look at these documents. Look at how great our president was. Look at how much he did for our country. Look at how much he loves us.’ They’re going to say ‘Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you for everything.’ And I’m going to say ‘You’re welcome,’” Trump said.

It remains to be seen how the Department of Justice’s case surrounding these classified documents and others against Trump will play out and potentially impact his run for president in 2024.

BY BS

The Journalist BS