Trump's first statement about the photo of classified records claims he "declassified" all of them.

[demmiblue]

Trump's first statement about the photo of classified records claims he "declassified" all of them. Notably, Trump's lawyers did not say this in their lawsuit and, per DOJ, never represented that anything had been declassified during their months of talks. https://politico.com/news/2022/08/3

Link to tweet

[Claustrum]

1. I've seen a lot of comments with this defense.

But all of that ignores the fact that declassification has a process that the "president" doesn't just magically declassify everything without telling anyone or going through the whole process of declassifying these documents.

[SamKnause]

2. Classified or Declassified isn't the issue.

THEY WERE STOLEN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They did not belong to you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are guilty of theft and obstruction !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kentuck]

3. Weak and comical.

There is no record of those documents being "de-classified" anywhere. There is no magic wand.

There are only lies and desperation.

[maxrandb]

17. Well, he does understand how stupid his supporters are

No other way you would post ridiculous shit like that unless you know your supporters are absolute morons!

[Johnny2X2X]

4. LOL

That's what he's rolling with? The dog ate my homework?

[Mr. Ected]

5. Usually, when you lie, you at least try to make it plausible

Trump's childish retorts are devoid of even that. He's a third grader challenging graduate students in their field of expertise, and he thinks that having an army of other third graders armed with spit balls is somehow going to make him student body president again and exonerate him of his crimes.

Go to the principal's office now, Mr. Trump. You're about to get a dose of the corporal punishment you guys delight in doling out.

[MotorCityBeard]

15. That is a spot on analogy

What a perfect way to describe the traitor and his brain dead minions.

[malaise]

6. If memory serves me right

The first thing he said was that the documents were planted.

Make up your mind LIAR

[keithbvadu2]

14. Yes! If they were planted, how can he want them back?

[tinrobot]

7. Who cares? They still don't belong to him.

He stole them.

[C_U_L8R]

8. Not likely, but if true...

Why would he wrecklessly declassify our nation's secrets, endangering intelligence agents and sources around the world, exposing (previously?) classified methods, etc ?

It seems he's either a traitor... or a traitor, no matter how he spins it.

[LastDemocratInSC]

11. You're correct.

The real issue is that those documents, regardless of classification status, contain information that can affect our national security.

Would any defender of his "I declassified them" argument say that it would be OK to copy those documents and hand them out on the streets in Palm Beach?

[global1]

9. When I First Saw That Pic - I Took It For A Pic .....

staged by DOJ to illustrate the types of documents that TFG stole (i.e., Top Secret to Time Magazine with his face on it).

[Wounded Bear]

13. Yeah, the ruler and the evidence tag kind of give it away...

They probably took hundreds, possibly thousands of pics in that search. It's one way they document how they followed procedures.

[Kid Berwyn]

10. Totally innocent then.

LOL.

[superpatriotman]

12. Talking point engaged

Prepare to hear it ad nauseum

[brush]

16. The fool is still trying the old "I declassified them" routine...

as if he were a king and could just declare them declassified by his word.

This shows clearly that doesn't understand the declassification process, or is pretending not to know. His competency is in question. Either way, he wasn't supposed to have the docs in his possession. He stole them.

[tanyev]

18. Actually, he brought Barron in to do it:

[inthewind21]

19. Huh

So the FEDS were "haphazard" in throwing around classified docs but Trump had already declassified. That statement gave me whiplash!