Steven Aftergood Information Quotations

Some categories of classified information are protected by statute and not only by executive order. Intelligence sources and methods are protected by the National Security Act and cannot be declassified even by the say-so of the president.

It is ironic, ... We sued the C.I.A. four times for this kind of information and lost. You can't get it through legal channels.

We have an interest on public access to government information and in government control of such access. Don't shut down these guys whether they are communicating with their families or they are reaching out to the larger public.

I presume it's an attempt to provide some context for the information that was disclosed. If such information was already in public circulation or widely disseminated, that could arguably mitigate anything the defendants did wrong by communicating it.

It prompts speculation that perhaps the government was using information that was illegally obtained.