And it's not unusual, or even alarming. But it's critically important to bear this in mind as we digest and discuss all of this news about Biden, Pence and Trump and "classified(!)" documents. Especially when McConnell said he didn't know Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmentalized Information documents could be taken from their designated viewing areas in the Capitol (they can't).
But we desperately need some context, people, because the nonsense being bandied about is as ridiculous as it is unhelpful.
So let's get some pretty important shit straight. Shall we?
All sorts of government information, in every branch, is "classified." Contrary to what many assume that to mean.... the vast majority of classified material has nothing to do with the really top-secret stuff... about our military capabilities or programs, our national security, or the the identities of spies providing information about our adversaries and the like. This is the shit that gets carried around in the briefcases with handcuffs. This is the stuff that must only be viewed by the select few, and only in specially approved secure locations... whether permanent ones or temporary ones set up by the right authorities.
But again, the lion's share of classified documents are not in this ultra-sensitive class. These lesser documents range from the ridiulously mundane to papers that, while not rising to highest level of security, are pretty damned important to keep from those who either should not know about the contents or have no need to know. Indeed, many in government have complained for many years that the classification regime is so out of control that its overuse has become a security risk in its own right. The argument is that when unimportant material is needlessly classified, actually important secrets are less secure.
But back to Pence, Biden and Trump. Let's not ever forget that to say something is "classified" doesn't really tell anyone very much. There's a big difference between, say, our nuclear codes and whether the kitchen stove or furnace in the Vice President's residence at the Naval Observatory are gas or electric. We don't know anything, today, about the actual nature of the documents Biden or Pence improperly retained. I am sure we will at some point, but it's currently pretty useless to speculate beyond the likelihood being close to zero that these documents represent anything approaching what we already know that Trump corruptly tried to keep hidden at Mar-a-Lago for the better part of two years. If someone tries to equate these three situations this is an equally important distinction as is Biden and Pence self-reporting and cooperating.
McConnell knows all this stuff. And yes, his office is literally stuffed with classified materials. Most likely his briefcase and desk at home, too, along with his phone and I-pad. Same for every other member if Congress and a boatload of staffers. It isn't news. It's not alarming. But it is an illustration of how off the rails coverage of this story has gone and how conflated it has become.
Thanks for reading.