“If it's classified, it should stay classified forever!”

What You Say

Classification protects legitimate secrets — not indefinite opacity. The Presidential Records Act and FOIA establish timelines and exemptions for public release. Bipartisan Epstein files legislation targets unclassified records specifically. Blanket 'never release' arguments protect institutions, not national security. Statutory declassification deadlines for high-public-interest cases are standard democratic hygiene.