Just because you technically can do something, doesn't mean you always should.
President Trump posted a photo of what appeared to be the site of a failed Iranian satellite launch on Twitter on Friday, prompting speculation that he had disclosed U.S. surveillance secrets. Trump cited the specific location of the site shown in the image, clarifying the U.S. was not involved in the accident, while also wishing Tehran "good luck" in its attempts to figure out what went wrong.
When questioned by reporters about the post, the president said he has the "absolute right" to release the photograph, but Patrick Eddington, a former CIA satellite imagery analyst and current research fellow at the CATO Institute, said the photograph appeared to be a classified image and, if so, Trump's tweet "is no doubt welcome news to our adversaries."
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Eddington did say that the president does indeed have the authority to declassify any federal document. He felt the need to add, however, that Twitter "is not a legitimate or responsible way to do so."
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