Anonymous government contractor

Because Harris and Walz have never stolen classified info from the National Archives and stored it next to a high-traffic resort pool

Many other essayists have mentioned Trump’s illiteracy and inattention to rule-based processes in government, but the examples that take the cake pertain to his carelessness with classified information and the fiasco that was Trump’s pilfering of classified documents post-presidency.

As far as we know, neither Harris nor Walz nor other administration officials have taken home piles of classified information that belong to the National Archives and Department of Defense and put them in the back of an insecure storage closet that’s close to high-traffic, publicly accessible areas of a golf resort such as its swimming pool.

Trump only cares about the negotiating power or the dollar value that stolen classified information can confer upon him—never mind that leaked classified info can cost lives, put US national security at risk, and create international diplomatic scandals and crises.

There is no normal worker supporting the US government who would expect to maintain their job after playing fast and loose with classified information. Except for the freaks who expect to get away with crimes, 99.99 percent of average working Joes and Janes with security clearances are terrified of breaking any protocol with regard to classified information.

Even cleared contractors train on a wide variety of security matters, and with a high amount of memorization and repetition required, so that the last thing in the world we have to worry about is unwittingly having accident of the mouth—such as when Trump blurted out classified info on the patio of Mar-a-Lago or in diplomatic meetings with leaders of foreign countries. None of us working Joes and Janes would be trusted within miles of classified info if we behaved like that.

It is deeply shocking and a huge failure of the security system, the Department of Justice, and the Supreme Court that Trump has not been held accountable for his behavior with regard to classified information. There is nothing “cute” or “quaint” about being perpetually “unfiltered” when the lives of American military and security personnel are on the line.

Anonymous government contractor with a high-level security clearance.