The answer should not matter if the concern is aviation security. In either case the TSA failed its mission by allowing a criminal access to the checked bag. If the criminal can take something out w/o getting caught, he/she could just as easily put something, e.g. a bomb, into the bag. The all-to-frequent reports of theft from checked baggage indicate that the TSA either does not really care about security, or does not understand the concept at all.

Of course if one is concerned with the covering of rear ends and passing the buck, then the answer matters.