PD Editorial: Secrecy has gone too far in Washington

When Donald Trump becomes president in a few weeks, he should make good on President Barack Obama’s failed pledge to have one of the most transparent administrations in history. Trump could start by fixing the classified documents system.

California Sen. Diane Feinstein recently laid out the challenges of over- (and occasionally under-) classification. As vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, she knows firsthand the need for and perils of classifying government records.

Feinstein warns that the classification system has become too complex and too broad. More than 3,000 classification guides exist for various departments and agencies, with more than two-thirds of those in the Department of Defense. Moreover, the guidelines rely on some subjectivity. Individual government officials often have discretion to decide what needs to be secret and what doesn’t.

The result is a hodgepodge of practices. Many government officials lack clear rules on when and what to classify. They must navigate a morass where missteps invite rapid criticism.

When in doubt, officials choose secrecy over public disclosure. After all, if they guess wrong, it’s better to err on the side of not revealing something to America’s enemies that put lives at risk.

While that instinct might be understandable, it ignores the competing need for the work of the people to belong to the people. What the government does should be accessible to Americans by default. Only the most precious secrets ought to be hidden away. Indeed, too often classification becomes a tool of hiding embarrassing facts, not national security.

The Information Security Oversight Office, which oversees classification activities in the federal government, found that about half of all classified documents were misclassified. They either shouldn’t have been classified in the first place or they received a higher level of protection than they deserved. Records wind up off limits for longer than they should be and potentially hidden from people who should see them but have the wrong clearance.

Classification isn’t cheap. Managing classified documents costs $15 billion annually. Eliminating overclassification could reduce that.

When classifiers do make mistakes, they are open to partisan attacks. Release something incorrectly, and you put America at risk. Conceal something inappropriately, and you are keeping secrets from the American people. No changes to the system would stop such opportunistic grandstanding, but clearer, consolidated rules that encourage both security and the public’s right to know would make it more difficult.

The Obama administration made some modest reforms to the system in the past few years, but problems and abuse persist. Feinstein urges the executive branch to go further. Better use of technology, a presumption of openness and incentives to classify at the lowest possible level would be excellent first steps.

Trump said he wants to “drain the swamp” in Washington. He might not be using that particular phrase on any given day, but its underlying goal remains sound. A dose of sunshine in government would be an excellent way to start drying things out. Trump will have the power to direct federal agencies to improve the classification system. He should use it and prove that he is bringing a new way of doing things to Washington.