Exclusive: The State Department’s Inspector General issued a blunt report criticizing Hillary Clinton’s imperious refusal to follow email rules as Secretary of State, adding to Clinton’s credibility problem, notes ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern.
By Ray McGovern
State Department functionaries faced a hopeless task as they tried to spin their own Inspector General’s matter-of-fact critique of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s imperial attitude toward basic security measures everyone else is required by law to follow.
It turns out that she deliberately chose to use a hacker-friendly, unprotected email server, and not so much for convenience – unless you define “convenience” as the ability to operate in total secrecy with no possibility of being held accountable for your policies or behavior. In one email to an aide, Clinton explained, “I don’t want any risk of the personal being accessible.”
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
When some staffers had the temerity to voice concerns over the vulnerability of a non-governmental email system, they were warned by their seniors “never to speak of the Secretary’s personal email system again.” The IG report establishes that Clinton’s claim that her use of an insecure email system for official business had been “allowed” is, well, disingenuous.
Pity the State Department spokespeople tasked with putting the best face on the IG’s stark criticism. Media representatives actually posed some direct questions to those applying the cosmetics, who showed themselves far more guilty than Socrates in “trying to make the worst case the better.” At several points, I sensed them wishing some hemlock came in their job jar.
Just doing their job, I know. But it was bizarrely clear that their instructions included taking a bullet for Secretary Clinton. It wasn’t really her fault, you see. It was actually the State Department’s fault, collectively. There were only a few variations on the meme: “We could have done a better job ensuring that people understand security policies;” “We could have done a better job at preserving emails;” “We have not lived up to all our obligations.” In other words, “we” failed the Secretary, not that Clinton failed in her duty to ensure that government information was properly secure.
I counted no fewer than 15 examples of this kind of self-criticism, and it was more than a little nauseating. But then, again, if Clinton becomes President, who wants to be assigned to be deputy chief of mission in Upper Slovobia? It was encouraging as it was heartening to notice that this time the press corps was not sitting still for the notion that it wasn’t really Clinton’s fault, after all.
The fly in the ointment preventing the usual careful orchestration of such announcements was an early leak of the IG report. Worse still, for the State Department spokespeople, several of the journalists had actually read the report and noticed that its declarative prose did not square with the collective self-flagellation serving as a diversion. Even the mainstream press corps could see through the transparent attempt to direct the public lashes onto a group of whipping boys and girls to spare the ex-Secretary and likely Democratic presidential nominee.
Again, some pity is in order for the briefers. It was not supposed to go down this way. Clearly, the State Department had intended to disclose the IG report this (Friday) afternoon to those few unlucky enough to be still around before the Memorial Day weekend. No doubt the spokespersons fully expected to have an extra day to do the homework required to be more plausible in the squaring-a-circle task they were given. The task would have been quite difficult with even a week to prepare.
Small Miracle
Opening my Washington Post, I encountered another surprise. For the first time since our Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity began writing corporate Memoranda for the President, the Post and VIPS were of one mind on something important.
The editors of the Post do not let us onto their pages, of course. But apparently they did read our open appeal to President Obama three days ago urging his administration to wind up the email investigation as quickly as possible and let the country know now what the FBI has learned – before the Democratic nomination is locked in. Where else would they have gotten such a good idea?
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before Congress on Jan. 23, 2013, about the fatal attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11. 2012. (Photo from C-SPAN coverage)
In the print edition, the Post lead editorial’s headline reads: “Ms. Clinton’s willful misjudgments: She repeatedly ignored warnings not to use private email during her tenure as secretary of state.” The online headline reads: “”Clinton’s inexcusable, willful disregard for the rules.” The editorial ends with the recommendation: “We urge the FBI to finish its own investigation soon, so all information about this troubling episode will be before the voters.”
In the Post’s news columns, a report on the IG findings runs as the page-one lede under the headline “State Department watchdog rebukes Clinton over email: No approval sought for private server,” undercutting Clinton’s argument that her decision to operate an email tied to her home-based server “was permitted” by the State Department. Too early to tell, of course, but Ms. Clinton may begin to worry that the editorial page editors, who until now have enthroned her as their favorite neocon, may be getting wobbly.
Same goes for The New York Times, which led its Thursday editions with a factual report and included two articles on page A14, one of which includes a rebuttal of the lame demurral put out by the Clinton campaign. The take-no-prisoners headline of the other article by Amy Chozick is: “Emails Add to Hillary Clinton’s Central Problem: Voters Just Don’t Trust Her.”
Chozick points out that Secretary Clinton refused to be interviewed by the Inspector General as part of the security review and, in effect, questions Clinton’s insistence that the voters don’t care about the email controversy. Noting Clinton’s very high unfavorable opinion rating, Chozik notes that when voters are asked why they do not trust Ms. Clinton, “Again and again they will answer with a single word: Emails.”
As Sir Walter Scott observed in a memorable poem:
Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practice to deceive!
Or as one might add in the context of modern politics:
But when we’ve practiced for a while,
We markedly improve our style
Secretary Clinton faces an immense task in trying to improve her style. A judgment on how well she’s doing may be recorded by the voters in the California primary on June 7.
Ray McGovern works with Tell the Word, a publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in inner-city Washington. He served as an Army Infantry/Intelligence officer and then as a CIA analyst for a total of 30 years, and is familiar with the damage that inevitably occurs when people with access to classified information are dismissive of the need to protect it from unauthorized disclosure.
DNC establishment: read, learn and stop being a low information voter!
http://prospect.org/article/how-dlc-does-it
http://www.thirdway.org/report/ready-for-the-new-economy
The Clintons are Criminals and Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton should be in prison, and they Know that the American Presidential Nuclear Bunker is the most Luxurious prison with over 50 years of supplies including drugs and alcohol, and alcohol can be manufactured from plants using artificial lighting, and this is more than enough for the old Clintons, and is a much better deal for the Clintons than an above ground American prison, even if they are among the few People on the Earth after WW 3.
The Corruption and Scandal Ridden Callous and Evil Clintons who care Only about themselves, will prefer the Luxurious prison of the American Presidential Nuclear Bunker to a Court Trial, and to prison facilities above ground in America, and this is why Morality or Honesty matters with regards to Elected Representatives and Appointed Public Officials, and Especially for President of America, and this is why there are American Social Democrats who think that the Congress should Impeach any Attorney General that hinders a Court Trial for Hillary Clinton.
The Clintons may have promised certain Media Owners who control their Journalists and a few other Democratic Party Leaders and their families a place in the American Presidential Nuclear Bunker, because it is a Very Large Facility and can accommodate several People for over 50 years, and perhaps the Clinton Foundation Money has built underground facilities or the Clintons could modify American Navy submarines that can join together as modules to make an underwater city and storage facility that can rise to the surface to send up wind turbines and large fiber optics for sunlight, and where tidal motion creates energy for that city, and which can last for decades under the ocean, and where the radiation is always low, because the oceans are very large and dilute the radiation, and these Facilities use Recycling Technology of the Mars Manned Mission Program Research for this.
We Know that Hillary Nixon Clinton was involved in the Watergate Impeachment Committee to Investigate President Nixon, because President Nixon had Lied by saying that he had revealed All of his Secret Tape Recordings of People, but he Lied and he was being Investigated by an Impeachment Committee, and it is said that the Chief of Staff of the House Judiciary Committee Jerry Zeifman said he found that Hillary Clinton is an Untrustworthy Liar, and that she is Unethical.
Hillary Nixon Clinton was on the Watergate Impeachment Staff in 1974, and we can assume that she thought of how much better Nixon could have Advanced his Career with his Tape Recordings, had he done things differently.
Hillary Clinton is a Lawyer, who began working at the Rose Law Firm in 1976, and so she has heard much regarding the Schemes of Criminals, as has Bill Clinton who is also a Lawyer.
The thoughts on how President Nixon could have done things differently may have come to Hillary Clinton’s mind before Bill Clinton became Governor of Arkansas in 1979, and the Lying Clintons Know if the Governor’s Mansion in Arkansas was used to have Conversations Secretly Recorded or Secret Films of People in Embarrassing or Criminal Acts of certain People that the Clintons wanted to Blackmail and make them their Puppets during the Arkansas Governorship of Bill Clinton.
Perhaps Hillary Nixon Clinton may have thought that if President Nixon had Secretly Tape Recorded or Filmed a Political figure in an Embarrassing or Criminal Act, then Nixon could Blackmail him or her to be his Puppet, and perhaps Nixon could have done this with Journalists to make them his Puppets to help him Politically.
Hillary Nixon Clinton Knew that she Needed Bill Clinton for her Ambition to be the President during her Co Presidency with Bill Clinton’s Presidency of 1993 to 2001, and she would Need Bill Clinton to Campaign for her this year.
We heard Bill Clinton say that Hillary Clinton was a Co President with him, and because the Clintons wish to occupy the White House again, then Hillary Clinton may want to Secretly Record or Secretly Film People to make them her Puppets, and Many People think the Clintons have already made Many Puppets, by Luring them into Temptation and Secretly Filming those they want to be their Puppets, while these People thought they had Total Privacy, and that this is why the System has become Thoroughly Corrupt.
Hillary Clinton Knows that those who read National Secrets and who are Entrusted to Keep National Secrets, can be compared to Olympic Cyclists who do Not need training wheels on their bicycles.
Hillary Clinton saying or implying that she needed others to mark State Department Material as Classified, is admitting that she either did not know what should be kept Secret until others told her, or that she did not know that she lacked the qualifications to be Secretary of State, and that she did not know that she should inform someone like a High Official in the State Department of this problem, because she was too unaware of it to notice that problem of her being Unqualified for Public Office.
The Facts of the matter are that Hillary Clinton Deliberately acted Corruptly and Illegally, and Pretended as Much as possible to act in ignorance and without any intentions to commit Espionage or do anything wrong, but Patriots are Not expected to be mind readers, and so the Espionage Act is there to Provide Incentives for High Public Officials to Act with Integrity and Honesty and Competency, and People can Understand what the Motives of the Clintons were by following the Clinton Foundation Bribes.
Hillary Clinton did Not want to be held accountable, and this was the Real Reason for the Private Email Server, and Hillary Clinton had to keep those State Department Emails and the so called Personal Emails, in case she was asked to account for them one day, and because the way she handled the Private Server matter is better for her than having no Emails to show, because that would be Definite Criminal Activity, but there were Many Clinton Emails that are said to be Personal but are in Fact Evidence of Deliberate Criminal Activity, and these Incriminating Emails are the Emails that Hillary Clinton Especially did Not want others to see, while there would be a small percentage of those Emails which were genuinely personal, but Hillary Clinton does Not care about her personal Emails, as much as she does about her Incriminating Emails which are Evidence of her Crimes.
If it was Not for the Benghazi Hearings, then Hillary Clinton would have continued to keep her Private Email Server and her Crimes a Secret, and this is why she wants to became President to avoid a Court Trial.
Those Candidates who want to be someone for America, must be Much for America and little for themselves, and Hillary Clinton is 100 % Clinton and 0 % American.
Hillary Nixon Clinton who was on the President Nixon Impeachment Committee learned something from that Experience, and that was that if a Power Addicted Unethical Person or Persons could place Secret Recording Devices in the White House so that they could Listen to and Record and to Blackmail and Puppetize President George Bush the second, while he was at the White House, and Listen to and Record and to Blackmail and Puppetize President Barack Obama.
The Clintons set up the Secret Listening and Secret Recording System at the White House, and they were able to Blackmail and Puppetize President George Bush the second very quickly, and they have done the same to President Barack Obama.
Perhaps the Clintons have been the Real Presidents with President George Bush the second, and perhaps Hillary Clinton ordered the Iraq War, and made it look like it was all the fault of the Blackmailed and Puppetized Resident at the White House who is also known as President George Bush the second, and so the Clintons have been Presidents since January 1993, and the Clintons with the Dominant Hillary Clinton want another 4 years as Presidents.
We Know that whether something is done deliberately or unintentionally, then the Result is the same, and that is why the Espionage Act says that there is No need to prove or even consider if there was any intention for there to be a Violation of the Espionage Act, and those who Know the Clintons, Know that the Clintons are Hardened Untrustworthy Liars and Devious Criminals who Know what they are doing, because they are longtime Lawyers.
We Know that the Blackmailed and therefore Puppetized President George Bush the second called Bill Clinton his brother and said that Hillary Clinton is his sister in law, and President George Bush the second Campaigned for the Clinton Foundation at http://assets.bwbx.io/images/iwqGD6mTY9iY/v1/1200x-1.jpg .
We Know that Resident Barack Obama of the Clinton’s Puppet Obama Administration wants to protect his own Secrets, and he is a Resident at the Whites’ House, and these Whites are the Clintons, and if this is the case, then Obama will instruct the Department of Justice not to Indict and Prosecute Hillary Clinton over her Obvious Crimes, and Clintons who are Lawyers Know how to Threaten, Blackmail, or Bribe Guccifer the Computer hacker to make Hillary Clinton appear to innocent, even though she is Obviously Guilty.
We Know that President George Bush the second had a female Secretary of State who was unmarried at the time she was the Secretary of State, and on one occasion she referred to President George Bush the second as her husband, before changing her statement after she Realized what she unintentionally let slip, because President George Bush the second already had a wife, and Perhaps Rancher and President George Bush the second, who some People compare to a Plantation Owner from one of the former Confederate States was playing House or Whites’ House with his second wife who was his Secretary of State.
People think that it is Logical that the Clintons have certain types of Secret Recordings at the White House of President George Bush the second and his Secretary of State.
We Know that the Clintons were able to Puppetize their Political Opponent President George Bush the second, and Hillary Clinton said that the President Barack Obama who the Clintons have also Puppetized will Act Corruptly and Not allow her to be Indicted and Prosecuted for her Crimes and Treasons, but that he could endorse her to be President, and Resident George Bush the second campaigned for the Clinton Foundation.
President Barack Obama Knows that the Clintons are Blackmailing him to keep the Secret Listening Devices at the White House for both himself and for the next President if somehow Hillary Clinton is not the next President of America, and if the Clintons get back into their Whites’ House, then they will continue to Upgrade their Listening and Recording Devices at the White House.
There are Many People who for good reasons are Concerned that the Extensively Travelled Clintons are being Blackmailed to try to win the Election, so that the Extensively Travelled Clintons can continue to Sell America’s Top Secrets to those who may have Secret Films of the Clintons in a Criminal Act or an Embarrassing Act, for which they can be Blackmailed, and so the Clintons Cannot be Public Servants, but Puppets of their Puppet Masters, but the Clintons have Never been Public Servants but Only Self Servers.
There are Many American Social Democrats who Know that the Undemocratic Primaries of the Undemocratic Party are Rigged and Corrupt with the Clinton Campaign using Slanders against Senator Sanders, Vote Rigging, Voter Suppression, and Many Dirty Tricks, including the Refusal to Debate matters, along with the Corrupt Selection of the Undemocratic Party Super Delegates.
There are American Social Democrats who think that if the Undemocratic Party had followed Democratic Principles then Senator Sanders would have more Pledged Delegates long ago than Hillary Clinton has, and if Hillary Clinton wants to be Democratic, then she should retire from the Democratic Primaries Campaign, and Senator Sanders should be the Democratic Party nominee for Presidential Candidate, and if Hillary Clinton does not want to debate Senator Sanders, then perhaps Senator Sanders should give a Speech on Television.
This matter would Not be mentioned, except that Hillary Clinton wants to be President of America, and we Know that Bill Crosby is a Good Friend of the Clintons, and we can see that as with Bill Cosby, that other Clinton Secrets may become Known to Americans, and this is yet another reason in a long list of reasons why there are American Social Democrats who want Anyone But Clinton to be President of America at https://www.the-newshub.com/us-politics/i-wont-vote-for-clinton-and-will-encourage-sanders-to-run-a-third-party-bid-for-president .
ooh, a big word today. imperious. not part of the 4th grade level lexicon of the donald.
where are the tax returns? how about that trump U lawsuit? where are the tax returns? your dead horse non scandals aren’t working. BENGHAZI!!!!!!!!!!
At the time, Bernie’s “I’m sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails” comment was one of the stupidest things he had said in the campaign. Why did he do that? Did DWS tell him to? Is this his idea of maintaining the “I never personally attack my opponents” image”? Now, like any politician he’s looking for any angle he can manipulate to get the nomination.
Why is the FBI dragging out this investigation? It’s a combination of cya and political pressure from Democratic Power Elite. To say that there isn’t any behind the scenes is just IMO naive.
Many Hillary supporters continue to say this isn’t an FBI criminal investigation. It’s a “procedural” investigation. Sorry, but wrong answer. The FBI DOESN’T investigate agency procedures. Only criminal matters. Sorry hardcore Hillary supporters. But your spin is making you look really silly.
Aside from the fact that in any political situation people spin as much as possible, millions of Hillary supporters continue to blindly support her. It’s like when you tell a little kid facts and they cover their ears and say I CAN’T HEAR YOU!
Why do they do this? Because they’re conditioned to think there are ONLY TWO parties. The evil neocons and the Democrats. The right wing media has hated Hillary from the very beginning. So of course you can’t trust anything that they say. But what about the fact that she had an unsecured server in her home? People are splitting semantic hairs in this. State Dept. rules and regulations are NOT laws. Therefore you can’t prosecute her. Really? In the real world, if I violated my employers’ rules, I’d be written up or fired. But because Hillary is rich and powerful, reality doesn’t apply to her? That’s how real “Inside the Beltway” politics operate. So just shut up and vote for her? I don’t think so.
This extraordinary dialogue in Consortium News’ public square is antidote to thinking democracy has been co-opted by thugs, an encouraging glimpse into what we still might be were we still thinking ourselves free….
Noisy Parker;
The Clintons, their supporters and the billionaires in whose pockets they reside seem to have serious contempt for most US citizens, including those who have voted to for them in the past or will vote for them in future! They seem to be operating by their own defined rules and demand that the rest of the population follow them without asking questions!
I am unable to reconcile (a) how elected delegates in 33 states of the USA could have allowed themselves to be talked into pledging allegiance to support no other candidate but Hillary, and this took place well before the primaries started (b) why a private server was set up (c) the rationale behind the mixing up of personal e-mails with government official e-mails in that private server (d) what prompted the frantic deletion over 30,000 e-mails …….;
and I am just an average Jane.
Not “rules”; It’s LAW ! Since her answers’ SHITE; they Must INDICT ! And since she’s DERELICT; they Must CONVICT !! https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CgVYIhCWIAET7G8.jpg
Ray, I just want to thank you and the Esteemed Veterans of the Intelligence Community for the astute memorandum you wrote to Obama. It has had a positive impact to bring Truth and Justice to the surface. I have shared it far and wide the last 24 hours. I appreciate everything you have done and continue to do.
The point keeps being missed that the emails are owned and paid for by CITIZENS. She stole from us — including the moral slouchs who would take the fall for her. I despise a thief.
Also what self respecting lawyer fails to keep a chron file??
And the biggest nuisance/aggravation/outrage is that as a former employee of the feds there is no accountability for what she did (or didnt). Why isn’t CONGRESS or someone in the press ranting about that? Can someone possibly draft some relevant legislation??
And I for one will never forgive her allowing or orchestrating an attack on Ray..Were there “personal” emails about THAT — OR was the sneering just filed under “yoga”???
Excuses for Hillary’s behavior in regard to the emails are many of course. Michael Tracey, on Democracy Now (http://bit.ly/1WoFYOF), notes that one of those included the line that her predecessors did it. Tracey notes that with Clinton’s ascension to the post, however, security of emails had become of much more concern to security officials and she would have both known that – and seems to know it when it comes to issues like the Snowden leak – and been required to do things ‘better’ than her predecessors. Hearing her make this argument that ‘They did it’ is so revealing. She’s got poise – which is all she has to offer (regular) people – and oodles of self-confidence but she’s such a slimy scammer. ‘This’ is what people need to know in order to see past the illusion that Hillary is good and will be a good president.
So Bernie: What say you now about that laugh line about Hillary’s emails that they were unimportant? Sheesh. I was appalled when you went there and I remain appalled. You should have been all over it. It was your small, but important, battle to lose.
The DNC establishment is populated by a tightly knit group of men and women who are alumni from Democratic Leadership Council. These individuals have very strong views of the world rarely revealed to average American citizens whose votes they seek to advance these views. The DLC was created in 1985 with Bill Clinton as it leader. To understand the mindset of Bill and Hillary, one needs to understand the rationale for the creation of the DLC. Here are some of the highlights:
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/33869-hillary-clinton-s-ghosts-a-legacy-of-pushing-the-democratic-party-to-the-right
http://prospect.org/article/how-dlc-does-it
Could it be that the establishment of a private server by Secretary Clinton was due to some strong foreign policy disagreement which Bill and Hillary wanted to advance without the knowledge of president? This could also be the reason why the two would like to back to the White House!
Mr McGovern underestimates the strategic significance of Upper Slobovia.. The NED is preparing a color revolution there to prepare it to enter NATO. Any young climber at State drools at the prospect of becoming deputy chief of mission there.
thanks for this, Edward,
The drooling is well warranted: The Premier of Upper Slobia has just signed a mutual defense treaty with the Islamic State, making him fair game. John Perkins’s former associates arrive in the capital next week with the a panel of paint colors from which the Premier can choose for the revolution (and his eventual funeral). We are keeping this tightly held (on Hillary’s server) for the nonce. ray
The new, post revolutionary leader of Upper Slobia, Mr. Yats the Terrible, a.k.a “our S.O.B. Yats the man”, has already prepared a multi-million dollar charitable contribution and a planeload of gold from the national treasury for the Clinton Foundation, because even the most charitable people deserve a comfortable retirement instead of exiting the White House (the second time) practically bankrupt.
On June 7, I hope Sanders stays away from the Ambassador Hotel kitchen.
Thank you, Ray, for focusing on the real-world worrisome issue with Hillary’s home email server – national security. Why would she put her email server outside the normal State Department security perimeter? And was she qualified to oversee hiring and managing a security expert to manage the server? Who was the person managing the server, how was he selected, and why did he take 5th amendment protection on initial questioning?
Also worrisome is Clinton’s misleading response to questions, notably claiming that Colin Powell essentially did the same thing. While he did use a personal email account (Hillary’s point), he only did that for personal emails, AND used a government account for government emails (omitted from Hillary’s misleading answer). (She has also used this mislead tactic on other issues, claiming to be essentially the same as Bernie when there is a wide gulf between them.)
Also worrisome is Clinton’s attachment to the neocon war agenda, a group that will use all means to attain their ends.
https://consortiumnews.com/2016/05/11/neocons-and-neolibs-how-dead-ideas-kill/
A related worry stems from the fact that the Israelis blackmailed Bill Clinton to stop him from objecting to their building new settlements. Monica’s official testimony included Clinton telling her that he believed he was being bugged by a foreign government.
[Jerry] Falwell recalled, “the pressure was really on Netanyahu to give away the farm in Israel. It was during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.… Clinton had to save himself, so he terminated the demands [to relinquish West Bank territory] that would have been forthcoming during that meeting, and would have been very bad for Israel.”
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2005/12/rapture200512#
The Monica scandal broke EXACTLY on the weekend Netanyahu was meeting Bill Clinton, when Clinton intended to complain about the continuing settlements. See “How Monica Lewinsky and her dress destroyed the Middle East Peace Accords”.
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0798/jj2.html
So might Israel also be blackmailing Hillary today? Might that be why she parrots Netanyahu’s lame excuse for slaughtering 500+ children, 1000+ parents, and wounding 10,000 neighbors in the last Gaza massacre, despite her outrage over 20 children massacred at Sandy Hook?
http://mondoweiss.net/2016/05/calling-miracle-clinton/
Might that be why she dragged her feet on negotiating a peace deal with Iran, as Netanyahu would have wanted, and why John Kerry was brought in to negotiate that deal?
Might the Clintons have been roped into an international bankster scenario as described by former economic hit man John Perkins? As Perkins described it, they would send a representative to meet a newly elected leader of a third world country. This representative would make the leader essentially the following offer.
“Hey, congratulations, Mr. President. Now that you’re president, I just want to tell you that I can make you very, very rich, you and your family. We have several hundred million dollars in this pocket if you play the game our way. If you decide not to, over in this pocket, I’ve got a gun with a bullet with your name on it, in case you decide to keep your campaign promises and throw us out.”
http://www.democracynow.org/2006/2/15/self_described_economic_hit_man_john
This evening Brian Krebs has an item about the Clinton home email server having an internet-based printer attached. Even if the printer was attached only while printing, the data would evidently be going out briefly to the internet. If permanently attached, it could have been hacked.
Here we are, expecting some kind of closure emanating from an investigation conducted by the legacy organization that gave us the Warren Commission Report. Only because I’m almost as old as Ray McGovern, and I lived through the Kennedy assassination years, I can relate to that old joke about Northern Slobovia. We have to keep in mind that the same machinery at work on current investigations have failed to “come clean” on a number of other issues. For instance, “Who really shot down MH-17?” Or, “Who really staged the Syrian sarin attack?” Or, “What was the Ambassador to Libya doing in Benghazi when his place of duty was in Tripoli?” Or, “Why are we still “allies” with the countries that are selling ISIS oil, supplying them with arms, treating their casualties, and maintaining their lines of communication and supply?” Or, “Why can’t we see a picture of dead bin Laden?” Or, “What is so important about hiding the contents of the 28 pages?” Or, for that matter, “Why should the Kennedy Assassination Records still be classified if the deed was done by a so-called “Lone Nut”.” American gullibility just knows no bounds. But for those not gullible enough to avoid asking the right questions, the answer will continue to be the punch-line from that joke about Northern Slobovia. In Southern Slobovia, they say, “Toughky shitsky, y’all.”
Lower Slobbovia, created by cartoonist Al Capp, was a side-bar to Li’l Abner comic strips, known as Ice-sop’s Fables, which have now been supplanted by US Govt whitewashes.
And by us Americans excepting such garbage, is why we have such leaders as the Clintons.
Thanks for the reminder FG. Those of us of a certain age, who have spent years being outraged by our government, see a continuity of government that goes back to, at least, November 23, 1963. I do think that, finally, the jig is up…
all this attempts to clean the email mess look like a wiggling worm pinned to the ground. Did anybody check if she securely shreds hardcopies or just throws them in regular bins?
Does anybody know, and is it even material? — Did HRC’s interlocutor & advisor Sidney Blumenthal have formal security clearance during the time of his email exchanges with Hillary about Benghazi, and all sorts of other things? Had he been awarded security clearance during Bill Clinton’s administration, and such (here presumptive) clearance still held good during HRC’s tenure as Secretary of State — and this despite his 2008 conviction for DWI?
A very important issue. Using a non-goverment server would give her the ability to send classified documents/information to persons without clearance, private parties, or foreign country operatives.
Herewith some follow-up stuff on Sidney Blumenthal / Guccifer / Hillary Clinton for those sufficiently curious:-
http://www.rt.com/usa/complete-emails-guccifer-clinton-554/
Go via google:-
William Reynolds, “Missing Clinton E-Mail Claims Saudis Financed Benghazi Attacks” (March 7, 2016)
As Sir Walter Scott observed in a memorable poem:
Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practice to deceive!
To paraphrase the other Scottish bard, hopefully, the best laid schemes of the un-Democratic Party’s oligarchy will “gang agley” in the very near future.
Many publications seem to burying the lead regarding the Inspector General’s findings on Clinton’s email escapades.
The report describes three separate instances in which Clinton or her immediate staff were concerned that someone was hacking into her private email server. In two of those cases, a non-departmental advisor to Clinton said he had to “shut down the server because he believed someone was trying to hack us and while they did not get in I didnt (sic) want to let them get the chance to.”
The report then goes on to note:
“Notification is required when a user suspects compromise of, among other things, a personally owned device containing personally identifiable information. 12 FAM 682.2-6 (August 4, 2008). However, OIG found no evidence that the Secretary or her staff reported these incidents to computer security personnel or anyone else within the Department.”
Isn’t this the crux of the issue about Clinton disregarding State Department rules? That hackers — including those working for foreign governments — could gain access to Clinton’s vulnerable email server and blackmail or influence her should she become President?
But Clinton blithely blew off the multiple attempted hacks and continued to exclusively use her private email and server to conduct all State Department business … for years.
But it was bizarrely clear that their instructions included taking a bullet for Secretary Clinton
Surely, no one can be in a greater predicament than anyone who goes to work in Washington each day with the prospect of “taking a bullet” (figuratively or literally) for anyone at the top of that dung heap. Except maybe ISIL suicide bombers. At least they bring their miserable lives to a quick end instead of enduring abject misery day in and day out.
Bill, I really liked your comparison between the ISIS suicide bombers and the Washington staffers, living every day with a prospect of taking a bullet for the boss at the top of the dung heap. This is an even more picturesque metaphor than Ray’s: “if Clinton becomes President, who wants to be assigned to be deputy chief of mission in Upper Slovobia?”.
The Clintons truly represent the essence of everything that is wrong with the US political and social system. Their disappearance from the scene (into comfy retirement) would give at least a temporary relief to the disenchanted citizenry. There are strong indications in the MSM that the 1%-ers may eject the couple as too much of a liability, but who can replace her? I am sure that they would have pushed through a better candidate from the start than HRC if they had one. Of course, a good candidate must have a sufficient number of skeletons in the closet to be pliant but not too many to become a liability like HRC.
I always thought that HRC was unelectable.
Are you serious? Bernie Sanders is running. Jill Stein is running. These two are honest people. We haven’t had an honest president since….who? Garfield? Chris Hedges says people who want to be/become president are either mediocre or venal. (Clinton and Trump are both.) Bernie Sanders and Jill Stein are neither, so Americans have a chance for a better world but probably won’t be allowed to choose that option.
Ray,
First class analysis. Newspaper readership has been in decline ever since the Internet offered honest, forthright coverage of political events. One Ray McGovern is worth ten WaPos or NYTimes.
Many thanks for stating the case so intelligently.
Even as the Earth faces multiple existential threats as well as a Trump presidency (or is that redundant?), the San Francisco Chronicle once again devotes most of its front page to news of a local sports team as it has for months while the item on Clinton’s flagrant misuse of a private server is buried at the bottom of page 6. Two DC insiders on Pravda — aka the PBS Newshour — largely blew off the OIG report’s effect on the Democratic Party race since Clinton nearly has a lock on the delegates. Criminal stupidity (I’m being generous here) apparently doesn’t much matter as the DNC marches us all to the cliff.
Dorsey Gardnes, I agree completely. (But Mr. Warren, please never misuse the word “meme” again.)
Fantastic article. I can only hope HRC in not the nominee with all her and her husbands baggage. It is an absolute embarrassment. I shudder to think of an administration under them again.
The country did very well under them. A balanced budget, low inflation high employment and Bill in his last term had far higher poll numbers than Reagan. The Clinton tax increase passed without one Republican vote was key to providing the budget surpluses that Bush later destroyed with a stupid war and a mountain of debt.
Under the Clintons’ watch, 1993-2001, there was the criminal war in Kosovo, sanctions on Iraq that cost an estimated half million Iraqi children their lives, overturn of the Glass-Steagall Act that gave the national the 2008 economic crash, welfare “reform” that was a disaster for countless single parents, and, among other travesties, an increase in incarceration giving the United States another “exceptional” status – more people in prison than any other nation. As for the economic prosperity there were factors other than the Clintons that contributed to that.
Don’t leave out the world disaster for the poor to be used as slaves to corporations’ profits: NAFTA.
Hilliarly was in CA today, touting her big bucket list of domestic programs. That will be her key to victory, as she knows quite well. One reporter asked about her email server, but she brushed it off; “nothing done wrong”.
Where are the Clinton Foundation e-mails ? Where the speaking fees agreements.
Two billion dollars and counting for this really odd foundation; and I don’t know how many tens of millions to the ‘Family’ for ‘personal’ speaking fees, even if there is not a written contract for arms sales and US subsidies and promised favours for donors-listeners just has to smell beyond high heaven. Have we no morals, are we intentionally blind, deaf and dumb ? It would seem, on the face of it, that Mrs. Clinton’s only qualification for the high office of President is her ability to have used her proximity to famous people to rip’em off for unbelievable personal donations, and for her ability to somehow, for no quid pro quo to get ‘donations’ and ‘fees’ for a really bad excuse for some kind of bank that will do some nebulous good, somewhere,.on some basis. Come on…. Really? How gullible are we all supposed to be. The whole affair stinks to high impeachment. Are we to see a military take over in the US, after some whistleblower finally gets the courage with the real goods ? If there is any residual shame left in the Democratic party establishment, the super delegates must be ordered to vote for Sanders for the party’s nomination, failing which, out of disgust, just kiss the country goodbye for the next four years.
“We urge the FBI to finish its own investigation soon, so all information about this troubling episode will be before the voters.”
Email Server? Finish Investigation?
Wait until someone spots the Political ATM Machine Hillary (For Sale) Clinton installed in the State Department that links directly to the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Initiative.
Cha Ching! Cha Ching! Cha Ching! Cha Ching! Cha Ching! Cha Ching! Cha Ching! …
If I may, I am providing an updated official Clinton version regarding her use of her private email server. I’ll allow you all to read it, without my own comments, since I am still chewing on this news item myself. Later…
https://www.hillaryclinton.com/briefing/factsheets/2015/07/13/email-facts/
Thanks Ray for staying on this!
You should have made it clear that your reference to “Socrates” is not to the historical philosopher but to the satirical character “Socrates” in a comedy, “The Clouds,” by Aristophanes (his 5th-century “roast” of Sokrates; he did a similar roast of Euripedes in “The Thesmophoriazusae”).
Joe Tedesky, thanks for this link. Of course this is a partisan and very slick defense, but covers issues that need clearing up. Hillary For America’s defense claim that zero classified documents were sent on her personal e-mail account, and state she only viewed classified documents as hard copy in her secured office. The claim is made that emails were retroactively marked classified/top secret by State only because they are now public. However, in a previous article by Mr. McGovern he states there is one e-mail where she orders staff to strip the classified label from a document(presumably to send it to her). This is very clearly illegal, if true, and would be a clincher. Hillary’s defense is use of a personal server was legal at the time, zero classified/top secret documents are in the e-mails(no mention of SAP or if classified information was, remember this was written by lawyers). IMHO the discussion should focus on the “label stripping” issue and if classified documents/information(even as oblique comments) was sent to private or non-cleared parties.
I look at Hillary’s updated email explanation, as not so much a legal defense, but yet another way of getting over on her uninformed public, whom she hopes will still vote for her. The impression I get of Hillary’s desire for the presidency, is that while she is so blinded by the light of achieving the highest office in this land, but yet she still can’t overcome her greed for making more loads of money. To me, it’s a simple process. One process is to have a personal email account, and the other is to use the official government server to send and receive official government emails. Only thing is, with her official government server there is that pesky FOIA, and this of course could lend to some critical scrutiny, which she couldn’t bring herself to allow. We Americans don’t need four, or eight more years of the Clintons, and their scandals. If it weren’t for their owning the establishment, no one would ever take the Clintons serious enough to even consider Hillary for any elected office, let alone the presidency. I’m hoping Hillary’s VP pick is a good and decent one, because at the rate she is going we will have not only the first woman president, but the first woman president to be impeached. The worst thing for her, would be if somewhere inside her emails someone uncovered a direct breach of security, which may have allowed the Benghazi attacks to materialize. There is still time for her to do the right thing, and that would be to drop out of this presidential race all together.
Guccifer apparently just cut a plea deal.
http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/281440-could-romanian-hacker-guccifer-assist-fbis-probe-of-clinton
From the time when Hillary became a young lawyer and then a public defender on a rape case where she delivered her defendant to the prosecution, all the way to the recent Clinton Foundation scam, Hillary and Bill have been on a crime spree. But they managed to avoid ever being caught (suicides, protection etc etc) and kept failing upwards in their jobs (Benghazi). After such life long crime spree, jailing HRC for busting the State Department security would be similar to jailing Al Capone for tax evasion.
Most serial criminals biggest flaw, is that overtime they become sloppy and blindly reckless, could Hillary have finally have gotten herself to,this point? Another thing is, how much has the Clintons cost this country in total dollars? I mean with all of the different investigations, committees, and the like, who have dug into the Clintons scurrilous actions overtime, could someone please tell me just exactly how much all of this has cost us American taxpayers? Seriously, we cannot afford another Clinton presidency. One more item, could 320 million people get some good group mental therapy? If not the whole 320 million of us, well then at least the Hillary voters should be made to lie on the couch, for if she should win this election.
Here’s a question for all of you. Will Hillary get indicted, or will she just quietly get out of the race? Something to think about. Imagine the dirt her and Bill got on her DC Beltway accusers. Will this be a replay of Dick Nixon?
Here is a link to a pro-Bernie site, which counters the official Hillary site I linked above.
http://usuncut.com/politics/5-times-hillary-clinton-lied-emails/
If you read the attachment I provided above, you’ll want to read this attachment.