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To: demlosers
My point... is that the President or his VP can downgrade any classified information if they believe that the info does not warrant secret status, And that means they can 'disseminate it to those without security clearance.'

No he can't. Usually, only the originator of the information who classified it initially can downgrade it. On FOIA requests, each agency has a clearance process for releasing information. It goes through a panel, which decides what can and cannot be released.

Some levels of classification downgrade automatically through the passage of time. The bottom line is that the Pres and VP don't have carte blanche authority to declassify information. They are subject to the same rules as other members of the USG.

71 posted on 10/26/2005 10:29:55 AM PDT by kabar
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To: kabar
No he can't. Usually, only the originator of the information who classified it initially can downgrade it.

Yes he can.

That's the "usual" case that the OPR does it. But someone in his chain-of-command can also downgrade it

75 posted on 10/26/2005 10:40:44 AM PDT by demlosers
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To: kabar
Some levels of classification downgrade automatically through the passage of time. The bottom line is that the Pres and VP don't have carte blanche authority to declassify information. They are subject to the same rules as other members of the USG.

Yeah, that is the usual way to do it. But if the president deems that the info needs to be put into the public purview in a timely manner he can make it public. A president would not do this unless the circumstances are unusual.

78 posted on 10/26/2005 10:48:03 AM PDT by demlosers
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