As we’re all well aware now, FBI Director James Comey declined to recommend charges in the Hillary Clinton email scandal. Her willful disregard of national security in handing classified data on a server stored in her bathroom isn’t worthy of charges, apparently.
Comey cited a lack of precedence in charging someone under similar circumstances, saying his bureau could not find a single case in which a person was charged with crimes for similar actions.
“In looking back at our investigations into mishandling or removal of classified information,” Comey brazenly announced, “we cannot find a case that would support bringing criminal charges on these facts.”
We really wish Mr. Comey would have consulted with us first.
Here’s a brief rundown that anybody can do with a Google search, in which 10 people were actually punished for similar or lesser offenses than what Mrs. Clinton got away with yesterday.
Bill Clinton’s National Security Adviser guilty of Destroying Documents in National Archives: “Sandy Berger … pleaded guilty in 2005 to illegally sneaking classified documents from the National Archives by stuffing papers in his suit. He later destroyed some of them in his office and lied about it.”
State Department Official Fired and Security Clearance Revoked After Linking to Classified Wikileaks Document: Peter Van Buren, a foreign service officer for Hillary’s State Department, was fired and his security clearance revoked for quoting a Wikileaks document AFTER publishing a book critical of Clinton. In fact, the Washington Post reported that one of his firing infractions was “showing ‘bad judgement’ by criticizing Clinton and then-Rep. Michele Bachmann on his blog.”
Bill Clinton’s CIA Director Was Pardoned During Plea Negotiations for Storing Classified Data on Home Computer: John Deutch, CIA director under President Clinton, was found to have classified information on a government-owned computer in his home several days after he left the CIA. He had to be pardoned in the middle of plea negotiations by Hillary’s husband.
Navy engineer sentenced for mishandling classified material: Bryan Nishimura of Folsom, California, pled guilty to the unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials during stints in Afghanistan in 2007 and 2008. Here’s the money quote from the AP – “An FBI search of Nishimura’s home turned up classified materials, but did not reveal evidence he intended to distribute them.” The exact words used to clear Hillary of her misdeeds. Instead, Nishimura was sentenced to two years probation, fined $7,500, and had to surrender his security clearance. Meanwhile, Clinton will be able to serve as Commander-in-Chief.
Sailor Smuggles Classified Docs off Ship: “A Navy intelligence specialist admitted Thursday that he smuggled classified documents out of Fort Bragg in folders and his pants pockets, then sold them for $11,500 to a man he believed was a Chinese agent.”
Low Level Submarine Shipmate Prosecuted for Less Serious Crime than Clinton: Petty Officer First Class Kristian Saucier allegedly used a cellphone camera to take photos in the classified engine room of the nuclear submarine where he worked as a mechanic, the USS Alexandria, then destroyed a laptop, camera and memory card after learning he was under investigation. He was indicted on one felony count of unlawful retention of national defense information and another felony count of obstruction of justice.
Marine Corps. Major Caught Sending Classified Documents to Superiors Using Personal Email: Maj. Jason Brezler was dismissed from the Marine Corps when he “accidentally took home 14 documents on his personal computer, some of which were classified.” According to the report, Brezler was “in a graduate school class when he received an urgent email from military officials in Afghanistan and sent a specific document in response, using his personal email account.”
Lab Tech Steals Data from Nuclear Facility. Jessica Lynn Quintana, a former worker at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, pleaded guilty in federal court to “knowingly removing classified information from the national security research laboratory, after she took home sensitive documents and data from the lab last year.”
NSA Manager gives Classified Info to Newspaper: A National Security Agency manager was indicted on allegations of willful retention of “national defense” or classified information, obstruction of justice and making a false statement, after he allegedly “passed classified information to a Baltimore Sun reporter who wrote stories exposing NSA mismanagement.” Charges were dropped and the NSA manager pleaded to a misdemeanor, in what was called a victory against the Obama administration whom had attempted to use dated laws to prosecute leakers of classified information. Now apparently, the administration is seemingly content with those intelligence leaks.
State Dept. Official Steals Classified Docs: Donald Willis Keyser earned over a year in prison when he “pled guilty to a three-count Criminal Information in which he admitted that he willfully and unlawfully removed classified documents and digital memory devices from the Department of State to his residence.” United States Attorney Chuck Rosenberg stated that Keyser “had an absolute obligation to safeguard the classified information entrusted to him and utterly failed to do so.” He then added, “His (Keyser’s) sentence of imprisonment is a warning to others in positions of public trust.” Just not Hillary Clinton.
Comment: Should Hillary have been punished and indicted for her crimes like everyone on this list? Share your thoughts below.
Basicly, if every time something is done, that causes an investigation and the same person is always there. you have to ask Why are you always under an investigation, in the vicinity, associated with the wrong doers, justifying why something was not illegal while others go to jail for same infraction? ahhh i know.You are guilty of the crime? Hillary is guilty and has procured wide spread accomplices including news medias. Can you say “politically organized crime”? send her to jail, send Obama to jail.
The Department of State installed SCIFs in both of Hillary’s residences to send and receive classified information. The private server had a separate telephone line, operated independently, and never had any intended purpose related to classified information.
The HEADER not the contents of an email determines the transmission route. Classified emails are directed through secure and separate telephone line SCIFs, which are completely separate from any Private server.
Clinton did not have a computer terminal of any kind or a facsimile machine in her office at State. Within her DoS office the only means of communication was by telephone. Her BlackBerry was surrendered and stored before she entered her DoS office.
Clinton did not have a computer terminal of any kind in the SCIFs at her residences, but did have a facsimile machine capable of secure and unsecure transmission via the Department of State installed secure telephone line. The telephone line was secure and operated independently from her server.
When in her residences, Clinton would receive classified information through diplomatic pouch via courier, secure phone call or secure fax.
SCIF = Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility for Classified emails and faxed documents. No computer terminal was present in any SCIF provided to Hillary and her BlackBerry had a different telephone number.
As Comey explained, INTENT determines whether an action is criminal, or not.
BLUF: She should be fined, at the very least.
As Secretary of State at the time, she really should have known better. People with clearances have to go through countless CBTs (computer based training, aka “death by PowerPoint”) regarding safeguarding information ANNUALLY! With the rise of hackers, it should be a given that one in that position (and privy to more “need-to-know” information than the average intelligence analyst) should be EXTRA cautious.
Take the OPM breach for example: they didn’t safeguard the database as well as they could have and now everyone that has ever used their services to obtain a security clearance has to deal with possible identity theft for the rest of their lives, along with anyone they listed as a reference. OPM should be punished for being careless, especially since that issues has to deal with thousands of US citizens who were forced to trust a system that let them down. They only offered identify theft monitoring for three years, when it should be for life! And on top of that mediocre attempt, the government is still relying on OPM to conduct security clearance investigations. Absurd, isn’t it?
I digress, I get that most of the emails were not portion marked correctly, but she should have checked before sending it out. There are classification authorities that could have assisted if she was uncertain. It was EXTREMELY careless and irresponsible; she should not be allowed to walk away without any consequences. If no criminal charges, she should at least be fined for her actions. Yes, she didn’t try to sell the information or publicly expose it, but she could be the next president; which means she will be exposed to even more sensitive information. There has to be a reperccusion for her mistakes, so she understands that she could have caused exceptionally grave danger to the country. What kind of example of being the US leader would she set, if she was treated differently when it’s harped and harped to the lower peons that: we must always be mindful of what we say, where we discuss it, who we share the information with, what we post, etc. (Do they have the proper clearance and need-to-know?) because the enemy is always watching.
Hillary gives classified materials to her lawyers who did not have top secret clearance.
Yah, but she didn’t sell the documents to Charlie Trie.
Her lawyers were just reading the the documents.
But none were Hillary Clinton.