Should Trump go to jail for mishandling classified information?

[meaner gene]

Wrong.
You are looking at this entirely backwards.
You are looking at it from the perspective of how you would get something unclassified for just any individual.
But that is not at all what is the case.
The case with a president is they are totally above any sort of congressional or military classification system.
They are immune to it, above it, and have total and complete discretion over it.

Presidents who have a SCIF do so because they want to, not because they have to.
They do not have to do anything concerning classified docs.

Congratulations, you just pointed out why Trump is so dangerous. He's given great power, and did not use it responsibly. Instead of protecting the National Security, Trump just willy nilly left it out in the open. Declassifying top secrets in an almost random fashion.

If they were to show Trump a document, and asked him WHEN he declassified it, he wouldn't be able to give an accurate answer.

 

[Rigby5]

First off, ex-presidents are ordinary citizens. Anything they gained by the power of their office, ends when they leave that office. The only things an ex-president gets to keep, are the things he walked into the white house with.
Everything else is transferred to the sitting president.

Presidents do not gain anything by the "power of their office".
Their power comes from the people.
And that does not end when their term in office ends, because they still have knowledge, papers, secrets, responsibilities, etc.
NOTHING is transferred to the next sitting president.
But as much as practical, that is not personal, is supposed to be transferred to NARA for FOIA.

 

[Rigby5]

Congratulations, you just pointed out why Trump is so dangerous. He's given great power, and did not use it responsibly. Instead of protecting the National Security, Trump just willy nilly left it out in the open. Declassifying top secrets in an almost random fashion.

If they were to show Trump a document, and asked him WHEN he declassified it, he wouldn't be able to give an accurate answer.

I am not at all a Trump supporter, and I do not disagree with you at all on this.
But the point is those who would try to prosecute Trump, over Russian collusion, Zelensky phone call, Jan 6 protest, or these classified docs, are all totally and completely so wrong as to be guilty of treason.
You do NOT go after ex-presidents or try to impeach presidents over things like blow jobs, phone calls, etc.
We did not even go after Bush, who murdered half a million innocent Iraqis.

 

[meaner gene]

However, in the case of presidents and classified docs, they really ARE without any restrictions.
There is no one authorized to be above them in any way, shape, or form.
And this is still true after office, since they still represent those who voted for them, and they still retain knowledge concerning those docs.

This is where you're completely wrong. As you said, a president gets his power from "the people". And "the people" through their elected representatives have power over the presidents handling of classified docs.

If the people through their representatives find the president did not protect national security, they can impeach the president, and remove him from office.
And the next president can then try to clean up the mess created.

 

[Rigby5]

I have always claimed to work for DoD for 40 years (mostly Army)
You are welcome to show where I claimed otherwise

But from the bottom of the ladder, looking up.
Not from the top of the ladder, looking down like a president would.

 

[Rigby5]

This is where you're completely wrong. As you said, a president gets his power from "the people". And "the people" through their elected representatives have power over the presidents handling of classified docs.

If the people through their representatives find the president did not protect national security, they can impeach the president, and remove him from office.
And the next president can then try to clean up the mess created.

That is true, but so far we have NOT been shown any evidence of any failure to protect national security.
For that I would have to know more about each and every paper.
And since that will never happen, a "special master" seems appropriate?

The problem I have is that the Russian collusion impeachment, Zelensky call impeachment, and Jan 6 mock trials, are all so incredibly partisan, disgusting, and illegal, that I have no confidence left in DC at all.
I wish it would all get wiped out by a meteorite.

 

[rightwinger]

They were not in safes at the White House either, and Mar-a-lago likely has higher security.

Yes
Country Clubs are known for their security

 

[rightwinger]

But from the bottom of the ladder, looking up.
Not from the top of the ladder, looking down like a president would.

A President is not above the law

 

[meaner gene]

Everything is automatically "declassified" whenever it involves a president or his trusted aids.
But that does not mean it is legally "declassified" for anyone else, so it just sounds like Trump used poor language.

Documents can't be selectively declassified. What happens to one copy of a document, is applied to each and every copy of that document.
So when Trump says he declassified a document, it not only declassifies the document itself, and all copies, but all the information contained in that document.
This is a clear case of where there is no "gray" area. It's either classified, and thus restricted in its disclosure. or it's declassified, and anyone, friend or foe, has full access to it, unless it's HIPPA, privacy act, subject to executive privilege / work product.

 

[meaner gene]

Presidents do not gain anything by the "power of their office".
Their power comes from the people.
And that does not end when their term in office ends, because they still have knowledge, papers, secrets, responsibilities, etc.

W r o n g ! ! !
They have knowledge, and secrets, but they have no papers, they belong to the people, and custody by the National Archives. They have no responsibilities other than death and taxes.

The powers given by the people, are removed when the people transfer them to the incumbent president.

 

[Lakhota]

Trump says he should……

Donald Trump has repeatedly called for lengthy jail sentences for those who he claimed mishandled classified information

Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for the lengthy jailing of opponents of his who he claimed mishandled classified materials.

www.cnn.com

In my administration, I'm going to enforce all laws concerning the protection of classified information. No one will be above the law."

"One of the first things we must do is to enforce all classification rules and to enforce all laws relating to the handling of classified information," he said in September 2016.
Speaking in July of that year, Trump said Clinton's mishandling "disqualifies" her from public service.

"Any government employee who engaged in this kind of behavior would be barred from handling classified information," Trump said. "Again, that alone disqualifies her

 

[meaner gene]

That is true, but so far we have NOT been shown any evidence of any failure to protect national security.
For that I would have to know more about each and every paper.
And since that will never happen, a "special master" seems appropriate?

Trump doesn't even know what documents he "declassified"

And that's surely a threat to National Security, when nobody knows what's secret, and what is now declassified. And available to anyone, friend or foe, who wants that information.

 

[meaner gene]

Yes
Country Clubs are known for their security

And of course the members have to pass a background check.

If they have $200,000, they pass the check.

 

[ABikerSailor]

They were not in safes at the White House either, and Mar-a-lago likely has higher security.

Are you deliberately trying to be stupid? That is the only way I could see you making this post.

 

[Quasar44]

Did Hillary?

There's your answer.

Then bill Clinton and Obama would be in prison as they both took half the WH with them

 

[meaner gene]

Then bill Clinton and Obama would be in prison as they both took half the WH with them

Really? If Clinton took half, and Obama took half. There would be no white house left.

Do the math.

 

[meaner gene]

Are you deliberately trying to be stupid? That is the only way I could see you making this post.

He also claimed the powers given to the president were permanent.

 

[JusticeHammer]

As soon as Hillary does.

 

[WEATHER53]

First off, ex-presidents are ordinary citizens. Anything they gained by the power of their office, ends when they leave that office. The only things an ex-president gets to keep, are the things he walked into the white house with.
Everything else is transferred to the sitting president.

Ordinary citizens
You are one brain dead lying dim bulb
Do ordinary citizens have secret service for life?

 

[meaner gene]

Ordinary citizens
You are one brain dead lying dim bulb
Do ordinary citizens have secret service for life?

If so ordered by the sitting presidents, then "yes". That's something that can be given to anybody at presidential discretion.