[eiji]

> Or are you suggesting that they should have known they were going to be kicked out and destroyed everything in preporation?

That's precisely what I'm trying to say. A campfire is certainly the fastest way to get the job done. It's just a very open public acknowledgement that you have stuff to burn. Every embassy or consulate on foreign soil has plenty of documents that are very confidential. Not all is criminal by any means. There is plenty of supporting material and analysis of economic concerns that are treated very confidential.

[nomel]

How would they have known, weeks in advance, for what is being reported as an "abrupt" decision? Guessing wrong would mean destroying everything without reason. How would they benefit from not waiting until the decision was actually made?

From the linked video:

> Images show people burning documents at China's consulate in Houston, a common practice when a diplomatic post is quickly abandoned.