Upon reading the published rendition of my most recent column, I discovered I made an incorrect assertion based on outdated law.
I wrote:
“The current President was formerly the Vice-President, an office with no lawful authority whatsoever to even possess, let alone declassify, such documents. “
That was incorrect. (This is what happens when you fail to fact check a final draft before submitting it for publication.)
In 2019, then President Obama issued Executive Order #13526, which extended authority to classify, and declassify, documents to the Vice-President. So both the former President whose home was raided, and the former VP in whose home classified document have now been found, had authority to declassify the documents they possessed.
Gary Beatty lives between Florida and Pagosa Springs. He retired after 30 years as a prosecutor for the State of Florida, has a doctorate in law, is Board Certified in Criminal Trial law by the Florida Supreme Court, and is now a law professor.