[12 January 2023] First it was former President Donald Trump, whose private residence in Florida was raided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, because of a large number of classified documents that had apparently been stored there. But the plot thickened in the past week, when classified government documents from the administration of United States President Barack Obama were also found stored in private property. This time, the property belonged to President Joe Biden.
What is going on here? In observing the media coverage of this imbroglio, it is apparent that the two major American political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, are seeking to use this affair in order to score cheap political points against each other. But the issue is far bigger than Trump and Biden, or Democratic and Republican politics. Perhaps it is worth listening to the wise words of Leon Panetta, who served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency and Secretary of Defense under President Obama.
In an interview on National Public Radio, Panetta raised the question of “whether or not we over-classify certain documents”. The issue of over-classification is something that many have considered in the past. Panetta added, however, that, “what all of this is pointing out is a much bigger problem, with regards to both the labeling and handling of classified material”. The question is, said Panetta, how are these documents protected, and how are they filed in the White House?
Panetta shared his own experience in the White House, which was that classified documents were only allowed to be accessed in specially designated, secure areas. In rare instances when the documents were removed from these areas, they had to be returned there. There was always someone checking to ensure that was the case. But, obviously, said Panetta, “that system has broken down”. The break-down of the system of document classification is at the heart of this embarrassing series of revelations that have rocked American politics in recent months. The system must be fixed if American political leaders are to be spared further embarrassment in the coming months. [EIA]