Hearing of House Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations: Emerging Threats: Overclassfication and...
HEARING OF HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY, EMERGING THREATS, AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: EMERGING THREATS: OVERCLASSFICATION AND PSEUDO-CLASSIFICATION
March 2, 2005
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Mr. Van Hollen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will be brief, just two things. First, with respect to classified information and use of classified information, abuse of classified information, there are two separate issues, and both identified by the 9/11 Commission report. One is the overcompartmentalization of legitimately classified information. They focus very much on the importance of sharing across agencies, because it doesn't do us any good in protecting our national security if one agency is sitting on a critical piece of the puzzle that when combined with another piece of the puzzle gives us a fuller picture.
Then of course there is the issue that we're looking at today, which is the overclassification of information in general. I want to thank the chairman for all his leadership on this issue and just say, it always amazes me to have briefings by Secretary Rumsfeld and others in this administration, and frankly in past administrations, in previous jobs as well, where they classified as secret or top secret, and you get into the room and you've heard what just happened had been reported on CNN or Fox News or whatever it may be, or you read it in the newspaper the next day.
It does breed a lot of cynicism about the abuse of classified information. I see it, it's just constant. Secret information is in the newspapers often before it's told to Members of Congress. I hope that we can develop a system that truly classifies the information that is critical to protect in our national security and not classify information that's an important part of the public debate in an exchange of views which is also essential to protecting our national security.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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