Too Many Secrets

Last week's decision by House Intelligence Committee Republicans and the White House to declassify a misleading, politically charged memo about evidence in the Russia investigation is yet another example of our toxic political environment. But it also points to another problem--one that existed long before President Trump--about how the U.S. government inconsistently and ineptly treats classified information and Americans' poor understanding of that process. Executive Order 13526, issued by President Obama in 2009, governs the process by which certain officials in the U.S. government can classify information--that is, make the decision to protect certain classes of information related to our national security for an established period of time. The process, typologies, and review mechanisms appear straightforward on paper. The ways officials apply them are anything but.