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Trump claims presidents can declassify material by 'thinking about it'

Donald Trump
Posted at 9:39 AM, Sep 22, 2022
and last updated 2022-09-22 10:07:25-04

Former President Donald claimed on Wednesday that he declassified the material taken during an FBI raid of his Florida home.

In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, Trump claimed that presidents have declassification authority— even without going through a process.

"If you're the president of the United States, you can declassify just by saying, 'It's declassified,' even by thinking about it," Trump said.

Trump is under federal investigation for storing top-secret government documents at his Mar-a-Lago home.

On Wednesday, an appeals court said the Department of justice could resume scrutinizing classified material seized from Trump's home. That part of the investigation had been on hold due to a ruling by a judge in a lower court.

According to The Associated Press, the appeals court noted that there was no evidence that Trump had declassified the seized records.