‘This Is Pretty Much B.S.’: Leon Panetta Refutes Claim Trump Could Declassify Documents on a Moment’s Notice

Former Defense Secretary and CIA Director Leon Panetta said that claims former President Donald Trump could declassify documents as he saw fit are “B.S.”

Panetta, who has worked with classified materials for decades, explained there is a process for declassifying confidential government information Monday.

On CNN’s The Lead, Panetta told host Jake Tapper the Justice Department probe into Trump’s alleged mishandling of government documents must play out in the interest of national security.

Panetta said:

As somebody involved with intelligence matters, this is a serious issue that involves classified information. The reason we classify information is to protect our national security. And make sure that that information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. And so it is really important that this investigation proceed to determine just exactly what level of classified information was involved here and whether anybody else had access to it.

Tapper noted a number of Trump allies have said the former president declassified all documents he took home with him.

“Former Trump aides are trying to claim there was a standing order by the president, Donald Trump, to declassify any document that left the West Wing for Trump’s residence,” Tapper said, before asking, “Is that how declassification works, even with some of the nation’s most guarded secrets?”

Panetta pulled no punches in his response.

“You know, that’s nonsense and he knows it. The reality is that there is a process for declassifying information,” Panetta said. “So there is nothing that I’m aware of that indicates that a formal step was taken by this president to in fact declassify anything. Right now, this is pretty much B.S.”

On Sunday, former Trump administration official Kash Patel argued his former boss could declare documents declassified at any moment.

“He can literally hand over a set of documents and say, ‘these are now declassified,’” Patel told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo. “That is done with definitive action immediately.”

Watch above, via CNN.