Hillary Clinton's Espionage

By Anita in Canada

Well, we now know Hillary Clinton is just a disaster when it comes to safeguarding classified information. FBI Director James Comey labeled her actions, and that of her staff, as “extremely careless” concerning handling classified information. Her email setup was not approved by the State Department. Her server was located in her basement, which wasn’t an authorized location. One hundred and ten emails on 52 separate emails chains had classified information on them, and were deemed as such when they were sent or received. In short, the entire Clinton narrative about her private emails system turned out to be–shocker–a total lie. Comey gutted that like a fish, but she won’t be charged. I mean, he did say that she was pretty much too stupid to understand the classification markers, even though the secretary of state is considered to be an original classification authority.

So, Clinton skipped away from a criminal indictment. Perhaps many thought that would be outcome, but let’s go back to 2015, where The Intercept’s Glenn Greenwald wrote about how Clinton reacted to when Chelsea (then-known as Bradley) Manning decided to disclose sensitive materials he downloaded onto a Lady Gaga CD. He updated the post in light of the FBI’s findings last week [emphasis mine]:

When it comes to low-level government employees with no power, the Obama administration has purposely prosecuted them as harshly as possible to the point of vindictiveness: It has notoriously prosecuted more individuals under the Espionage Act of 1917 for improperly handling classified information than all previous administrations combined.

NSA whistleblower Tom Drake, for instance, faced years in prison, and ultimately had his career destroyed, based on the Obama DOJ’s claims that he “mishandled” classified information (it included information that was not formally classified at the time but was retroactively decreed to be such). Less than two weeks ago, “a Naval reservist was convicted and sentenced for mishandling classified military materials” despite no “evidence he intended to distribute them.” Last year, a Naval officer was convicted of mishandling classified information also in the absence of any intent to distribute it.

[…]

In December 2011, Chelsea Manning’s court-martial was set to begin. None of the documents at issue in that prosecution was “top secret,” unlike the documents found on Hillary Clinton’s server. Nonetheless, the then-secretary of state convened a press conference to denounce Manning and defend the prosecution. 

This is what she said:

If his case goes to trial and he is convicted, Manning could face life in prison. The government has said it would not seek the death penalty.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called Manning’s alleged actions damaging and unfortunate in remarks to reporters at the State Department on Thursday.

“I think that in an age where so much information is flying through cyberspace, we all have to be aware of the fact that some information which is sensitive, which does affect the security of individuals and relationships, deserves to be protected and we will continue to take necessary steps to do so,” Clinton said.

Manning was convicted and sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Greenwald added that the intelligence community overclassifies material, with former NSA and CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden commenting that a simple email reading ‘Merry Christmas” came with a top secret classification. Hence, prosecutions regarding the mishandling of classified material could be the government often times delivering $1000 worth of punishment for $5 crimes. Yet, he added that Clinton never made those arguments, as to her opinion of the Manning case.

“To the contrary, she more often than not defended it, using rationale that, as it turns out, condemned herself and her own behavior at least as much as those whose persecution she was defending,” he wrote.

It just once again confirms how the Clintons live by a separate set of rules than everyone else, and how they’re not to be trusted. It also doesn’t help when you double down those narrative lies you peddled about those emails, as the FBI director has clearly stated otherwise:

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary