>
I should check my closet for classified documents >

Apparently if you were in the White House or  Congress, yes, you should. >

Seriously, everyone had/has a security clearance. I wish we could make the distinction that not everyone is willing to sell out their government. Yes he had classified documents, and when they were found they self reported, however only 1 man had documents taken for a criminal reason, and when asked lied multiple times, and tried to cover it up. >

Wellll..... i guess i should go ahead and get rid of some of those red and yellow marked folders. >

You should destroy any electronic equipment (e.g. e-mail servers, Blackberries) and delete any Google accounts. >

I have a bottle of bleach under my sink, i'll be fine >

My mind read that as, "I have a bottle of bleach under my skin..." I was really impressed at your readiness to wipe things out. >

Getting rid of COVID and classified documents! What a double whammy! >


It is not yet clear what the documents are related to or their level of sensitivity or classification. Pence’s team plans to notify Congress on Tuesday.
Pence asked his lawyer to conduct the search of his home out of an abundance of caution, and the attorney began going through four boxes stored at Pence’s house last week, finding a small number of documents with classified markings, the sources said.

It seems like he's trying to do the right thing. Whether that's because it was a legitimate mistake or he was caught and is trying to soften the penalty remains to be seen. >

I'm willing to give Pence the benefit of the doubt as far as intent goes here. I gave this benefit of the doubt to Biden as well. They both seem to be cooperating and trying to ferret out any classified documents to turn them over to the proper government department.
Contrast this with Trump who refused to give the documents back, refused to allow a search, lied about there not being any more documents, and to this day is demanding that the FBI give him the documents back - calling them his "property."
I won't agree with Pence's politics and would never vote for him. On this point, though, he seems to be doing the right thing. >

Me too. I doubt that they do their own packing when they leave office. Someone put everything into file boxes and they moved them home and likely never looked at them again, then cooperated with the searches. This is completely different from Trump's behavior. >

It seems to me that the tracking process for sensitive documents is lacking. Our local librarian knows where all the books are but these documents seem to be floating around with no one keeping track. The system failed >

Which adds to the trump side of it, they had a list of documents they wanted back from trump. >

Yes, they knew he had some but it just looks like tracking needs to be tightened up given Biden and Pence has stuff no one seemed to be missing. >

Keep in mind classified and national secrets aren't the same thing. If Biden planned a surprise party for Obama, the fact that it was secret and he was VP would make any related documents classified. If he still had those documents in a dusty box today, he'd be in illegal possession of classified documents technically but it's be of no consequence and nobody would be tracking it. At the other end of the scale would be a briefing on a new prototype superweapon DARPA was working on.
The latter is why Trump is in trouble and why the National Archives knew they were missing. The former is likely what Biden and Pence found and this is only a headline because they're being honest and telling us they have them. >

Let's be honest it's only a headline because Trump had all his drama about it. This stuff with documents happens literally all the time for the exact reasons you described (the docs aren't important just made by someone who is) and likely isn't the news story people want it to be. >

This is getting so ridiculous. Check every past president and VP's house apparently. >

haha, you think it's limited to presidents and VPs. >

Someone check R Kelly’s closet! >

We should probably do that regardless. >

Eeew, these documents are covered in R Kelly doo doo water! >

Drip drip drip >

This is the remix edition, of the song about pissin >

The only thing to make my life complete is when I turn your face into a toilet seat >

I wanna piss on you >

Gimme some of that 'poo poo' >

I'd give anything to be a fly on Pence's head right now. >

Now we know what it was doing >

One thing that’s always bothered me about that scene (not counting the headphones flying off) is why he brings the cockroach so close and in full view of the people in the room. He could’ve just as easily gone up a table leg or whatever. Or maybe he’s not particularly smart, I guess. >

AUGUST 20, 2022:

Pence says he didn’t leave office with any classified material >

In the cases of Biden and Pence, I do believe that most of these are cases where things were just filed and packed away where they should not have been, copies of correspondence and low sensitivity information that hasn’t really been looked for. And probably the case for a good number of Trump’s documents as well.
What differs between the two of them and Trump, is that the National Archives and the FBI came looking for certain highly sensitive documents they knew Trump took, Trump’s team handed some over but lied about having the others. We know they lied because one member of Trump’s legal team or inner circle reported that they had lied, and security footage exists of them relocating the documents after the initial interview. 
Biden’s team on the other hand, self reported the documents they found immediately and have been cooperating with all search and hand over requests.
People will try to both-sides this, but there is a difference between the severity of crimes here. >

It is my firm belief that Trump took the documents with the intent to profit from them.  Biden and Pence took them without knowing, and just left them in storage. 
My evidence:  Trump is a shitbag who would do exactly this, and his behavior since this all happened is consistent with someone who's doing this. >

I’m not even sure they “took” them. Depending on what they are, it’s quite possible Biden or pence (because politics aside, they both took their jobs as VP seriously) originated the documents while at home and working. >

"So I was at home, writing a draft of what became the memo to another head of state about the upcoming visit and what I wanted to accomplish (obviously, this would be classified correspondence). It was late, I needed to eat and sleep, and in the morning, I had to clear my desk for a meeting and just scooped up everything and threw it into a folder for later sorting. Never got to the sorting part. Whoops." >

Where is my fainting couch?!  The scandal. >

4 years later:
FORMER VICE-PRESIDENT ADMITS TO CARELESS HANDLING OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS
Talking Head #1: "In the army they teach you to do the small things right so that you have the ethic to do the big things right. This is instilled into every recruit. His cavalier actions concerning classified documents disgrace the men and women who serve our great nation."
Talking Head #2:  "That may be a harsh, but I think the real question is Are the American people going to be satisfied with this "trust me I'm honest" policy from our politicians?
Talking Head #1: "The only honest thing a politician could say is "I'm a liar". Anyways, that's all the time we have for this national crisis which compromises our national security and lets our enemies come knocking on our door, we'll be right back after our sponsors."
Commercial : "Do you have anxiety? Are you worried about your future? We at Forgetisuticals LLC. might have the solution to your pain..." >

You fucking nailed it! >

This is a pretty good example of why the case against Trump was always more complicated than "he has the documents, go get him".
It's also the resistance to turning them back in, the declaration that he didn't have more, and where they ended up getting stored (and the lack of security there). >

And Trump trying to demand that the FBI to give back "his personal property" when referring to the classified documents. Biden and Pence clearly see the classified documents as government property that they accidentally took. Trump sees them as souvenirs that he can do with as he pleases because he was President once. >

It’s also the level of classification that those documents are.  Trump had documents that should never left a certain room, let alone the White House. >

It's cool guys, he declassified 'em just by thinking about it!👍👍 >

maybe Biden should use his psychic  president powers to declassify the docs too. >

NPR had a good report on how most classified documents don't need that label, but there's far more trouble when a document isn't classified than when it is and shouldn't be. So the people who handle these often will make them classified just to CYA. That said Trump had nuclear secrets in his house and pulled a LOT of BS. Everyone else has cooperated appropiately. >

This the one?
Fresh Air: Is The U.S. Gov't Designating Too Many Documents As Classified'? >

IIRC they said 3 things are marked classified every minute. >

And some of those are retroactive... who's gonna go check their desk for something that's classified today that wasn't last week? >

This is one part of the problem and without knowing what was found at Pence/Biden houses it's hard to say. These could literally be Unclassified documents that were retroactively classified, see Secretary Clinton's emails.
I cannot get excited about Pence or Biden's reveals as they have cooperated and it seems like this is just part of the onerous classification process at large.
Trump committed obstruction of justice though, it doesn't matter why he committed it, he committed it. People really need to separate this in their heads.
With that being said, clearly we need an overhaul of the whole classification system because this is super embarrassing. >

Has anyone checked in on Jimmy Carter? There are a lot of possible houses he could have left documents in. >

What about Reagan??? >

What about George Washington? >

Free pass for founding fathers >

At this point, I'm wondering who doesn't have some. >

I feel like Obama was probably super cautious about it since they were desperately trying to jump on him for anything
But ya everyone seems to be saying it's super common and the real test of character is what you do when they're found.
Do you screech and say you never had them? Or cooperate fully with the investigation? >

Also Trump deliberately took them on his way out. As always he stands alone as a true piece of shit. >

I don't like that this is whitewashing Trumps illegal holding and hiding of documents and refusing to return them... and missing documents in folders and some of his documents held sensitive compartmented information which could cause grave damage to national security. And nuclear secrets... >

It isn't. Trump was known to have them and refused to surrender them. Apparently it is common for documentation to be "left behind". The real question is what happens afterwards and how does the person that retained the documentation behave. Trump's situation is still waaaayyyyyyyy worse because he deceived and refused with intent. >

Exactly this.
Biden, Pence are cooperative. 
Trump is not.
Thank you, Mr. Pence, for providing a shining GOP example of what should happen.
Now, the case for charging Trump just became that much easier. >

Trump is pathologically incapable of ever admitting he was wrong or mistaken about literally anything. He couldn't simply cooperate and say he didn't know he couldn't take them or something... he had to start talking about conspiracy theories to frame him and how he declassified it all with his mind. It's pathetic. >

He could be driving, miss a turn and instead of going “oops I missed a turn”, he’ll tell you he’s taking a a different direction and now you’re nowhere near where you needed to be >

Now let’s check Kushner and Bannon, please. >


A lawyer for former Vice President Mike Pence discovered about a dozen documents marked as classified at Pence’s Indiana home last week, and he has turned those classified records over to the FBI, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

And just like Biden's team, and completely UNLIKE Trump's, he did the right thing and handed them over immediately, which makes this one also a non-story, as far as I'm concerned. At most, Pence some criticism for hypocrisy since he's been shitting on Biden, but that's it.
It falls under the "don't punish the behavior you want" principle. If the proper return of accidentally removed documents is punished, it incentivizes people to hide or destroy such documents in the future instead of returning them. >

Okay.
So like... obviously these are both very different from Trump repeatedly lying about having things, refusing to return them, and making clear efforts to hide them. 
But also we REALLY obviously need to entirely rethink our systems for handling, handing out, tracking, and getting back classified material. I've seen more careful control procedures over arduino kits at a community college. >

Jesus christ, we have better protocols for tracking the items we circulate from the library I work at. >

Honestly don't understand how they haven't have something like this in place for many decades now >

It's because classification is weird. Many of these documents are pretty much like your reimbursement receipts, W2s, daily planners, the meal options at the Naval Yard kitchen. 
All still classified, but like, most normal people lose those in a box in an attic on the regular. >

I’m just going to follow the Fox News narrative for Biden and call this treason. >

I've been hearing that it is very illegal for a former VP to have classified documents. >

And Senators, apparently! >

So is pence handling it the Biden way or the Trump way? >

To his credit, seems like the Biden way. He asked for his belongings to be searched. >

It also further distances them from Trump's case because he isn't out there on social media screaming about black helicopters and Gestapo. >

That's an unfair characterization. Trump would have called it Gelato. >

You're both wrong. It's gazpacho. >

See that wasn’t so fucken hard to do (Biden/Pence),
1) find classified docs in your possession/home
2) report said documents to appropriate agency(s)
3) return said documents promptly
What’s Trumps fucken excuse now for not returning the classified docs in his possession/home except being a POS? >

I am guessing they could find documents at almost every single person in the governments house that would be classified in some way.
I think finding them and removing them is the right thing to do jo matter who has them but I think maybe we should somehow distinguish “how classified” these documents are.
There is a huge difference between a company that has a government contract and nuclear codes or a list of CIA agents names. 
Also volumtarily turning them in versus fighting their removal is a big difference.
Edit: When I said government I more meant along the lines of politicians and elected offices. >

Not mine. I took that shit seriously. >

You also weren't moving around all over the place while on call 24/7 like a Vice President would be, so it's not an apples-to-apples comparison. >

Lets be clear, Biden and Pence said it was inadvertent and it was a handful of documents. Trump had much more and he intentionally kept the records found as a sort of trophy. >

I'm starting to suspect the government is not very good at keeping track of classified documents. >

It's clear that the system we have now to track classified documents given to officials in very highest levels of government isn't functioning correctly. 
Trump was an outlier in that he was actively obstructing return of these types of documents, but it seems like they're all over the place. >


It's clear that the system we have now to track classified documents given to officials in very highest levels of government isn't functioning correctly. 

The system only tracks Secret and Top Secret >

I have no classified documents. Just saying. >

Hey FBI, this person's house ^ >

After he criticized Biden for having classified documents. >

You probably have classified documents too >

Two main takeaways from this ongoing story.
1) It's actually quite common for heads of state to mishandle classified documents, and we need to fix that.
2) Biden and Pence immediately returned the documents and notified the authorities, but Trump tried to keep them and lied to law enforcement. >

The difference between Pence and Trump is that Pence's lawyers seem to have followed the proper procedures instead of obstructing >

Better also check Jared and Ivanka's homes as well. >

I'm starting to wonder if I need to go check my garage for classified documents. >

Feels like the birth of a new meme is about to happen. >

r/AMemeIsBorn >

I'm sure Pence's was inadvertent, as was Biden's. But Trump tried to deceive in order to keep the documents. That's a different story. What are the odds right wing media agrees that Biden and Pence are equivalent while Trump is not? 0%? >

I’m guessing that classified documents would be found in most ex president and ex vice president homes. I think it’s part of the lax system that is in place for tracking of the documents. There is a distinction between unintentionally hanging onto documents and the intentional hanging on to documents that tRump did. >

I'm shocked, shocked I tell you. >

I feel like America needs to invest in some file cabinets that lock. Why does everyone seem to have documents that they're not supposed to have? >

Is this going to end up being the type of thing where this is extremely common and didn't become an issue until Trump just completely took it to a new level? >

Yes, that was always the case.  Thats why NARA worked for a year and a half to get them back quietly and literally only became an issue after he lied about returning them. >

I think the difference between Biden/pence having documents, and trump having them, is that Trump purposefully took documents, was asked to return them, and refused. There was pretty clear intent.
Biden, or someone else, found documents in his garage, and called the correct people to collect them. This shouldn't be that big of a deal. >

My hope it that the Biden/Pence docs don't normalize what Trump did.  Don't let the GOP change the rhetoric on this. >

Pence and Biden’s classified docs still don’t come close to the multiple cases of Top Secret docs at Mar a lago and refusal to turn over after discovering them missing. >

And demanding that the FBI give them back. To this day, Trump is still calling the classified documents his property. It might be hard to prove intent if he didn't blurt out at every opportunity how he should be allowed to keep all of those for his personal collection. >

Oooh, Mother is not going to be happy. >

Starting to realize just how outrageous the Benghazi / “but her emails” attack on Hillary Clinton was. >

Jesus Christ, I'm glad Pence is following biden's footsteps and complying with authorities, shame on Trump. >

Everyone had to remember,  deliberately taking multiple  boxes of classified documents and refusing to return them is  a heap different to these guys accidentally leaving a handful,  and instantly returning once found >

I hope the FBI is checking Kushner, Bannon and Flynn. >

Not that I like Pence, but just realize that unlike Trump, he hired a Lawyer to go through his home to check if something was left there and then alert the National Archives if there was. Instead of you know, refuse to handover anything. >

The funny thing about trump is that he could have escaped any issues if he had just returned the docs
Always picks the worst path >

Conservatives wanting to launch a million investigations into Biden are suddenly silent again.
Strange why that is 🤔 >

Hey dawg... people take work home and sometimes forget about it. We get it. I bet Bush and Clinton are like, "Oh shit, were we supposed to turn that in?" right about now too. 
The issue isn't "did you take work documents home and forget?" The question is "Did you then lie about it and swear and have attorneys swear you didn't have them, then turn in some of the documents you swore you didn't have, and not others, until the FBI had to raid your house to get them?" >

Clearly all these notherfuckers abuse the classified system. But only Trump made it an Olympic event and then obstructed Justice. >

Mother found them along with a stack of Hustler and two packs of Tareytons. >

This makes it seem like there is more of an issue with document tracking than anything. >

Their tracking system is broken or doesn't exist. >

Guy will do anything to try to seem Presidential. >

Obama or Bush next? >

Between the two, I think Bush is more likely. Unlike Obama, he's still living in the same private residence that he used while in office so there's a reasonable chance he might have taken classified documents there with him and then misplaced them. >

Okay, now after flipping back to CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS IN PLACES BAD, it's gonna be really funny watching the Right Wing media pretend this is fine. >

Damn I think I might need to start checking my house. >

I cant wait to see the headline "Classified Documents being used as insulation in all the homes Jimmy Carter built for habitat for humanity" >

National Archives out here like Oprah apparently.
"You get documents! You get documents! EVERYBODY gets documents!" >

Time to search everyone’s house! Paul Ryan. Pompeo. Jim Jordan. Paul Gossar. Pelosi. McCarthy. Mcconnell....etc >

Fuck Mike Pence, but he did the right thing in simply turning them over. Just like with Biden, once they are discovered they both did the responsible thing. It is entirely possible that these documents were not classified when they were removed but have since been classified.
I am starting to think that pretty much every elected official, no matter the party, has some classified material at their home. The issues only start popping up if you do what 45 did. >

So, not to excuse anybody’s handling of this, and they all should be going through due process, but at some point, we should probably start asking about how well secured these documents are. >

So it's a systemic problem. Except Trump, who intentionally took them and refused to give them back. >

And, just like with Biden, these documents were found by Pence's own lawyers and immediately returned to the proper authorities.
These two situations are not at all comparable to Trump's situation. >

Still not comparable to Trump stealing documents. >

Look, can everyone just check and make sure they don't have any classified docs at their house? >

All this is showing me (without judgment on whom) it seems relatively easy to misplace sensitive documents and that should be the story because like others have said probably all politicians have some. >

Right....the problem so far really is that one of them fought and refused to return them claiming them as their own.
Mango tits could have just given them back right away and I bet we'd never have even known any of this occurred. >

Does it really matter if they are willing to give them back and be open to any searches?  None of this is comparable to Trump's situation due to the fact he wouldn't give them back and required the FBI to raid his residence to get them back. >

I was enlisted with clearance that required me to be "read in" along my career. I handled classified documents on pretty much a daily basis for I don't know at least 17 years. 
We didn't even have provisions for removing material from the site so it's hard for me to wrap my head around how politicians are expected to handle classified material let alone have it loose in their homes/offices. 
For the uninitiated there's tiers to classifications Confidential, Secret, Top Secret, Top Secret Secret Compartmentalized Information (SCI) are the standard ones I encountered then theres just general information thats considered "sensitive" and other modifiers like NOFORN meaning even if its an ally member that has the clearance still can't view it.
When the Maralago pic came out and I saw the SCI cover sheets it was shocking to say the least. Maybe there wasn't a document that went with that cover sheet but the fact that the cover sheet existed likely means something went with it and was/is loose in the wild.
Deadly force is only authorized by security personnel for threats to personnel and threats to national security. We use the "Deadly Force Triangle" to spell out threats pretty clearly to personnel but the national security stipulation was always a bit of a quagmire with the exception being SCI material as that material supercedes Top Secret and means you can only access that information on a need to know basis and those that needed to know were "read in" to the specific programs. Its just good "housekeeping" to prevent information being improperly disseminated.
These news reports all keep generalizing "classified" information documents as one big entity but they're not all the same. A confidential document being left out that discusses the operating frequency of a radar used by twenty countries and can be found on Wikipedia is not the same as an SCI document that discusses specific operations of super secret squirrel program that does not exist.
Any improper dissemination of classified documents compromises security as a whole and I can not understand how these Boomers do not have security managers let alone "handlers" to keep these chuckle fucks from screwing up like this.
This concludes my old man yelling into the wind ted talk thank you. >

Time for the FBI to raid Mt. Vernon! >

Meanwhile, Jimmy Carter is on his farm like, “Am I the only one who turned in my classified documents?” >

They should do a broad sweep of all govt employees and elected officials at this point. Prosecute all of them! >

I should check my house at this point. >

I'm starting to think we don't do a very good job securing our classified documents...
But honestly, I'm struggling to understand why you'd want to take any documents with you other than maybe correspondence.  Treat it like the last day of school and just walk the fuck out. >

I don't think people care about the classified documents itself, I mean I doubt there are secret alien autopsy pics at Roswell amongst them, it's just that Trump Nation's reaction was so fucking hilarious... remember the cavalcade they organised outside Mar-a-lago to intimidate law enforcement? drenched Trump supporters in raincoats, with MAGA caps and rifles... geez! >

The sheer fact that the personal lawyers were the ones to hand over the file in both instances.. v 45 where special agents with appropriate clearance were needed to execute the warrant and fisa judges needing additional clearance tells us all we need to know about the difference in context. >

There’s probably something at every former president or vice presidents home
The problem with trump isn’t that he had them the problem is that he lied about them and refused to give them back >

This stinks of Trump's allies just muddying the shit out of the waters for him. Dude still did way fucking worse than just have a few documents turn up. >

Looks like the same situation as with Biden; he inadvertently ended up with classified documents, his own attorney found them, and they voluntarily informed the right authorities.  I'm sure there will be an investigation just in case, but at first glance, it doesn't look like there's a story here. >

Did he return them immediately or did he lie and lie and refuse, force law enforcement to obtain a warrant, hide them in his desk, then file false paperwork, then claim they were declassified, then start moving them around his property, on and on?
As if “packing in a hurry” was a sensible argument. >

Wish Justice would search Trump's other properties.  It's stupid to think that a guy who won't turn over classified documents only kept them in one location. >

I think I just injured myself from laughing so far. >

But "her emails". >

lmaoooo Mike Pence is so desperate for attention he threw himself into the ongoing classified document scandals. 
I think at some point we are going to have to accept that the real problem here is that the government has a problem with over classification, which inevitably leads to people becoming careless with classified documents that really have no business being marked classified. I'm willing to bet if we did a deep dive into the servers and homes of every high level politician from both parties, we would find some classified materials where they technically don't belong. >

And when found, immediately turned over, and no one is calling for him to be prosecuted.  Biden did the right and legal thing, Pence did the right and legal thing, Trump committed crimes with his documents. >

In unrelated news, George W. Bush has been seen burning a lot more “brush piles” than usual at his Texas ranch these last few weeks.
The FBI tried searching Bill Clinton’s papers, but they were all stuck together for some reason.
Jimmy Carter has sheepishly turned over the user manual for a 1977 Magnavox television while profusely apologizing. 
And Dick Cheney has invited the entire DOJ out on a hunting expedition. >

I have said this before and I am sure it will be relevant again... all of this speaks to a very serious issue where those in power dont take information security seriously.  That was what should have been focused on with the Hillary email server scandal, its what should be the issue with Biden, and it is probably the issue here.  Trump was another thing, that was probably malice.  But it is apparent that on some level once someone gets into high office, no one actually forces them to follow basic security protocols.  Eventually this will bite us in the ass, if it already hasn't. >

I hate Trump as much as the next person but if he would have just cooperated like a normal government official would, which he is incapable of, he wouldnt have looked so bad (with this at least 🤣). 
I guess we are starting to see that this is a common issue and I am wondering if its the handling of documents when the move occurs. Staffers and such placing papers in boxes and moving out. >

As documents continue to be found in the possession of former and current officials it is important to remember what differentiates Trump's situation. Trump refused to cooperate with the return of documents. Trump lied to officials and defined a subpoena for the return of specific documents. 
Pence or Biden willfully returning documents and cooperating fully isn't that same. >

This seems like great news for Biden. >

This isn’t 50/50. We don’t even know what Biden or Pence even had right now. The contents matter. Trump had documents about nuclear weapons in his basement. He was shown thousands of documents over his four years it isn’t coincidence that the stuff he stole was about nuclear bombs. >

They are planting them to take the heat off of rump >

We clearly have a systemic problem with mishandling classified documents. I sure hope policy changes are being made to curb further mishandling at the root. >

Classified docs will be found at all presidents homes >

Joe Biden: Discovered classified documents at his residence, contacted  the DOJ and Archives and arranged to turn over the documents immediately.
Mike Pence: Discovered classified documents at his residence, contacted  the DOJ and Archives and arranged to turn over the documents immediately.
Donald Trump: Lied about possessing hundreds of classified documents, failed to properly secure stored classified documents, negligently risked foreign agents accessing the improperly secured documents, insisted that he had psychically declassified the documents, claimed that he personally owned the classified documents, refused DOJ demands to return the classified documents to the Archive... All of this amid allegations of attempting to flush white house documents down the toilet, tear them into pieces, throw them in the trash, etc... >

Maybe we need a better system for classified documents.
If I checked a book out of the local library they knew I had it. This was in 1980 and it was a crappy book. I think we can do better with classified documents. >

Damn, I better check my garage. This shit is everywhere. >

Oh my god... the problem with Trump isn't that he had documents.  It's that he had documents, he was asked for them and instead of turning them over and having his people play nice with NARA... he lied and only gave back a portion... and retained a material enough portion that they had to get a warrant to search for them.  And then dragged that out for half a year.  
And somehow there are 70 million people that will look at this and say "THEY'RE ALL CROOKED!" and it'll just blow completely over.  This motherfucker more likely than not got US Intelligence assets killed and wasted billions of dollars of secrecy about our satelite surveillance ability.  God damn it, Biden. >

2-1 your serve. >

So they don't really say what they found because it's classified of course, but it makes me question. Are politicians being incompetent about protecting and handling classified documents? Or are the amount of documents they are given on a daily basis that are classified so high that it might as well be us leaving some weekly report used for a meeting yesterday that is completely available on your computer anyways. 
Into the mail sorter with you until you are forgotten forever >

I am truly confused how this can be. I dealt with moderately classified DoD documents (up to various TS/SCI codeword, but not really HUMINT or Q stuff) back in the 1980-2000 era and it would take a conscious effort to remove and hide a classified doc for very long.
Even that stuff was serial numbered and tracked; an officious junior security officer would physically inventory my office safes, desk, and secure spaces at least annually and compare to my list of signed-out docs, and those lists were compared to the libraries, etc - the chain was verified fairly often. The SCIFs had 24x7 security guards to ask if you had locked up your stuff, and if you were carrying anything in/out (plus random spot checks of briefcases etc) ... so there was a process which worked well enough to keep honest people from making mistakes.
Importantly, *most* of the hard work of audits and tracking and daily area-checks and such was done by the security team so it really didn't even impose extra stress on the rest of us.
Surely Presidents and such have the best security and admin staffs in the world, *how* can these documents be misplaced or misfiled, *how* can the team have not noticed at the very next audit? I am confused ... >

I heard a story on npr a few days ago that this is more of a case of the overuse of classification for almost everything. Routine correspondence and otherwise innocuous documents get classified at a staggering rate. Eventually, these things will turn up in everybody's possession, and if you were allowed to look at the documents themselves you might question why they were classified in the first place. As long as the people comply and the documents weren't of serious value. 
Sigh, and then there's Trump, who is clearly acting out of willful ignorance or malice in nearly every aspect of his life. >

Never hear about Obama doing this stuff. That guy was great. >

I really hate how people are trying to group Biden, Pence, and Trump all in the same group. 
Pence and Biden are both being totally cooperative. The documents weren’t taken intentionally. I’m actually quite confident you could find classified documents at any president or former VP’s home. The media is making this into a much bigger story than it needs to be. 
Trump on the other hand took the documents purposely with malicious intent. And then REFUSED to give them back. Criminal intent matters. >

Why the fuck are classified documents ever allowed off of government property in the first place? We really are in the dumbest timeline. >

Clearly this happens sometimes inadvertently. When determining if something done was criminal, you always have to take into account whether it was done with malice. There clearly wasn't malice involved with Pence or Biden. Trump, on the othrrhand, was given year of constant subpoenas and requests to return the cases worth of extremely sensitive documents he intentionally removed, then tried to use them as a bargaining chip. That's malice. Pence and Biden acted with good faith. There's a difference here. >

Pence "asked his lawyer" to double check that he didn't have any classified documents. This is him getting ahead of the story. He knew he had classified documents and he is covering his ass in anticipation of a presidential run. >

Having classified docs at home is normal, what is not normal is not returning them when found or resisting it >


“Well, there’d be no reason to have classified documents, particularly if they were in an unprotected area,” Pence continued. “But I will tell you that I believe there had to be many better ways to resolve that issue than executing a search warrant at the personal residence of a former president of the United States.”

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There are better ways, Mike. Which were attempted. Multiple times, until they got fed up with Trump lying and refusing to turn over the documents they knew he had. >

Surely, being both Biden and Pence’s documents were discovered by their lawyers and turned over immediately upon discovery, the GOP investigations will look into Pence’s actions as well…  

“He has agreed to fully cooperate with congressional oversight and any questions we have about the matter,” said Comer, adding that Pence’s transparency “stands in stark contrast” to the Biden administration’s response to Congress over the classified documents. Comer’s statement did not mention Trump’s classified documents.  

Ooooof course. And apparently Donnie is still above the law. >

Well this is going to change the fox narrative quite a bit >

What I don’t get is how there isn’t some sort of chain of custody for these documents? I assume intelligence/security agencies keep a record of which officials get what documents—why aren’t they requesting them back when a term is complete?