SHANNON LONGWORTH: FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HAS INSISTED FOR MONTHS THAT HE HAD A “STANDING ORDER” THAT WOULD DECLASSIFY DOCUMENTS AS SOON AS THEY WERE REMOVED FROM THE WHITE HOUSE. THE ORDER, HE CLAIMED, WOULD EXONERATE HIM IN THE ONGOING CRIMINAL CASE REGARDING HIS ALLEGED MISHANDLING OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS. 

DOJ, ODNI DON’T HAVE TRUMP’S DECLASSIFICATION STANDING ORDER

NOW, BOTH THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND THE OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE SAY THEY HAVE NO PROOF THAT THE ORDER EVER EXISTED. 

BLOOMBERG NEWS FILED FOIA REQUEST FOR COPY OF STANDING ORDER 

ACCORDING TO BLOOMBERG, THEY RECEIVED NOTICE THAT THE STAND ORDER, WHICH WOULD DECLASSIFY TOP-SECRET GOVERNMENT INFORMATION ONCE IT LEFT THE OVAL OFFICE, COULDN’T BE FOUND AFTER THEY FILED A FREEDOM OF INFORMATION LAWSUIT WITH THE  ODNI AND THE DOJ FOR A COPY OF IT. 

GOVERNMENT ATTORNEYS CONFIRMED THEY HAVE NO RECORD OF ORDER

IN A COURT FILING LAST MONTH, GOVERNMENT ATTORNEYS TOLD BLOOMBERG NEWS THAT THEY COULD NEITHER CONFIRM NOR DENY WHETHER THE AGENCIES HAD THE DOCUMENT, DUE TO THE ONGOING CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION. BUT ON JUNE 29, THE NEWS ORGANIZATION RECEIVED A LETTER FROM THOSE ATTORNEYS STATING THAT THEY HAVE NO RECORDS OF THE DECLASSIFICATION STANDING ORDER. 

PRESIDENTS CAN DECLASSIFY DOCUMENTS, BUT MUST INFORM ODNI

THERE’S BEEN SPECULATION OVER THE STANDING ORDER SINCE AUGUST, WHEN TRUMP’S MAR-A-LAGO ESTATE WAS RAIDED, AND HE POSTED ON HIS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM THAT THE FBI HAD TAKEN “DECLASSIFIED” DOCUMENTS. EVEN THOUGH PRESIDENTS CAN DECLASSIFY DOCUMENTS, FORMER INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS HAVE SAID THAT A STANDING ORDER WOULD HAVE TO BE IN WRITING AND SHARED WITH THE OFFICE OF DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AS WELL AS THE AGENCY THAT CLASSIFIED THE DOCUMENT. 

MEDIA LANDSCAPE OF TRUMP’S DECLASSIFICATION STANDING ORDER

BLOOMBERG’S REPORT HAS BEEN LARGELY IGNORED BY RIGHT-LEANING NEWS OUTLETS. A LOOK AT THE  MEDIA LANDSCAPE OF THIS STORY CLEARLY SHOWS THAT IT IS MAINLY BEING SHARED BY LEFT-LEANING AND CENTERED PLATFORMS. 

AT STRAIGHT ARROW NEW- YOU CAN SEE WHEN THE MEDIA IS LEAVING A STORY OUT OF THE NEWS CYCLE ON OUR MEDIA MISS PAGE. 

TRUMP INDICTMENT TRIAL BEGINS IN 2024

THE INDICTMENT AGAINST TRUMP OUTLINES 37 COUNTS, INCLUDING WILLFUL RETENTION OF NATIONAL DEFENSE INFORMATION AND CORRUPTLY CONCEALING DOCUMENTS.