https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don...d_information#Handling_of_classified_material
Donald Trump's handling of government records, especially those containing classified information, during his presidency has come under scrutiny. A number of incidents in which the president disclosed classified information to foreign powers and private individuals have become publicly known, sometimes with distinct national security and diplomatic consequences.
Notably, on May 10, 2017,
Trump disclosed classified information to Russian government representatives, creating political and security concerns in the United States and its allies, especially Israel. Soon after the meeting, American intelligence extracted a high-level covert source from within the Russian government because of concerns the individual was at risk, in part, by the repeated mishandling of classified intelligence by Trump and his administration.[1]
Other questionable behaviors during his presidency have included Trump's
sharing of national defense information on social media and private disclosures, both known and unknown. During Trump's tenure as president, lax security at Mar-a-Lago was a cause of concern because of the uncontrolled flow of guests and events at the resort—a concern that endured post-presidency, because Trump retained classified documents after leaving office.
Background
Handling of government records during his presidency
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Although under the Presidential Records Act official presidential records must be preserved and retained, Trump frequently destroyed and disposed of papers while president.[9][10] Advisers regularly saw him destroy documents at the White House and Mar-a-Lago,[9][10] as well as aboard Air Force One.[9] Trump continued this practice throughout his presidency, despite repeated admonishments from at least two of his chiefs of staff and from the White House counsel.[9] Trump's indiscriminate shredding of paper extended to "both sensitive and mundane" materials.[9] In an attempt to deal with Trump's habits, early in his presidency, his aides developed special practices and protocols,[9][11] with staffers from the Office of the Staff Secretary or the Oval Office Operations team retrieving piles of torn paper. Staff from the White House Office of Records Management pieced documents back together, using clear tape.[9]
Not all materials have been recovered: Trump White House staffers used
"burn bags" frequently to destroy documents rather than retain them for handling in accordance with the law.[9] On at least two occasions, Trump apparently flushed documents down the toilet at the White House Residence.[12][13]
Handling of classified material
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During his four years as U.S. president, Trump took a cavalier attitude toward U.S. classified information.[14][15][16] After U.S. intelligence assessed in 2017 that the Russian government sought to manipulate the 2016 presidential election and promote Trump's candidacy, Trump ranted against what he claimed was a "deep state" and viewed the assessment as an insult.[14] Months into his presidency, Trump revealed highly classified information to Russian officials in an Oval Office meeting, forcing the CIA to extract a key Moscow source developed over years.[14] In a July 2018 summit in Helsinki with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Trump accepted Russia's denials that it had interfered in the 2016 election, rejecting the U.S. government's conclusions to the contrary.[14] Trump frequently blasted the U.S. intelligence agencies on Twitter, and on two occasions, Trump revealed classified information on his Twitter feed (in 2017, he made a Twitter post revealing a CIA program in Syria, and in August 2019, he posted a classified satellite photo of a site in Iran that revealed U.S. satellite surveillance capabilities).[14][17] Three years later, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency formally declassified the satellite image that Trump had tweeted, following a FOIA request, which required a Pentagon-wide review to determine if the briefing slide could be made public.[18]
Trump's erratic behavior led to mistrust from the U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies, who were also alarmed by Trump's mixing with guests during his frequent trips to Mar-a-Lago, viewing the practice as "ripe to be exploited by a foreign spy service eager for access to the epicenter of American power".[14] Mar-a-Lago is frequented by its hundreds of members, as well as guests who visit or rent the facilities.[10] In 2017, after North Korea conducted a ballistic-missile test, at least one Mar-a-Lago patron posted photos on social media of Trump talking on his cell phone and conferring with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the resort's dining room.[14] In 2019, authorities arrested a Chinese national carrying phones and other electronic devices who had left a reception area at the club; the incident heightened security concerns regarding the club.[16][10] During Trump's presidency, a sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF) was operational at Mar-a-Lago for communications with the White House Situation Room and Pentagon.[19] The SCIF was removed after he left office.[20]
In October 2020, Trump said on Twitter that he had "fully authorized the total declassification" of all documents related to what he called "the Russia hoax" and the Hillary Clinton email controversy. However, news organizations were told that these documents were still classified, and Trump's then-chief of staff Mark Meadows, in a sworn federal court filing, said that Trump had told him that Trump's "statements on Twitter were not self-executing declassification orders and do not require the declassification or release of any particular documents".[21]
In January 2021, Meadows sought to declassify unreleased Crossfire Hurricane[clarification needed] materials which included text messages between former FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. Meadows dismissed concerns from the FBI of compromising the bureau,[clarification needed] stating that Trump intended to declassify and release them. Trump declassified them after the White House settled with the FBI on redactions. However, Department of Justice (DOJ) officials warned Meadows that his plan to give the materials to conservative journalists could violate privacy law.[22]
When Trump left office, President Joe Biden barred him from receiving the intelligence briefings traditionally given to former presidents, citing Trump's "erratic behavior".[15][23]
You guys on the Left are always good for a laugh. 
