Correcting my typo
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given training *
(and then the training was passed on with her signature.)
Those excuses are utterly absurd.
At my company, the person originating information in an email was responsible for determining the level of classification and marking it appropriately. There was a standard way to mark levels of classification, and everybody in the company was trained on it. If you received an email that wasn't marked confidential but it should be, and you were going to forward it to someone else, it was up to YOU to mark it confidential. Each person handling the information was responsible for making sure information was classified appropriately and marking it properly and then handling the information in the proper manner. It was not that hard to do.
I'm sure thousands of state dept. employees figured out how to do it. She has no excuse.
And P.S., you can't feign naivety.
New employees get confidentiality training.
Existing exmployees get the same training repeated once a year. And they have to sign a form that they read and understood the training, and will abide by it. Once a year.
I'm sure government service does no less.
By signing that document you acknowledge that you are responsible to handle classified information correctly, and you understand there are consequences if you don't.