Former top Pence aide Marc Short on Friday dismissed a recent claim by former President Trump that presidents can declassify documents by thinking about them, calling the notion “absurd.”
“That’s absurd, of course,” Short told CBS News. “I think it would be very difficult for the intelligence community to have a classification system if that were the case.”
Short, who served as chief of staff to former Vice President Pence, added that he and the former Vice President did not operate to that standard.
Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday that presidents can declassify materials simply by “thinking about it.”
“There doesn’t have to be a trial, as I understand it,” Trump said. “If you’re the president of the United States, you can declassify just by saying, ‘It’s been released.’ Even by thinking about it.”
The former president has repeatedly claimed that he has released the more than 300 classified documents recovered from his home in Mar-a-Lago since he left office. Trump and the Justice Department are currently fighting in court over the status of the documents.
Trump’s legal team faced backlash in court this week over his declassification claims. Judge Raymond Dearie, the special master assigned to review documents recovered from Mar-a-Lago, reportedly appeared annoyed during a meeting on Tuesday when Trump’s team resisted his request to elaborate on a filing noting that the former president could have released the records.
An appeals court also noted this week that “the record contains no evidence that any of these records have been released.” The court granted the Justice Department’s appeal to exempt classified documents from the special master’s assessment.
For the latest news, weather, sports and streaming video, head to The Hill.
