Below is a longer version of my New York Post column on the recent claim of Hillary Clinton that she has been the subject to a long-standing and unfair “Clinton standard” while denying that there was any classified information found on her private server. In a signature move, Clinton is focusing on the actual classification of emails as opposed to the use of the unsecured server for communications with aides that revealed classified information — the reason why such unsecured servers are dangers to national security.
Here is the column:
“I can’t believe we’re still talking about this, but my emails. . .” The expression of utter incredulity was classic Clinton — she’s selling hats reading “But her emails” for $30 a pop. Hillary Clinton’s disbelief this week was shared by many critics left dumbfounded by her claim her private server contained “zero” classified documents.
But Hillary’s denial of what was found on her server exposes something far more serious than a simply false claim. It reflects establishment figures’ sense of license that they can literally rewrite history with little fear of contradiction by the media.
While calling for limits on free speech over “disinformation,” Hillary has no qualms about falsely denying what published government reports detail.
“As Trump’s problems continue to mount, the right is trying to make this about me again. There’s even a ‘Clinton Standard.’ The fact is that I had zero emails that were classified,” her but-my-emails tweet continued. “Comey admitted he was wrong after he claimed I had classified emails. Trump’s own State Department, under two different Secretaries, found I had no classified emails.”
Virtually everything about that claim is breathtakingly untrue.
Let’s quickly deal with the light lifting before getting back to the “Clinton Standard.”
“Zero emails” were “classified.”
A 2018 Department of Justice inspector general report revealed “81 email chains containing approximately 193 individual emails” were “classified from the CONFIDENTIAL to TOP SECRET levels at the time.” Clinton is echoing her allies’ recent spin that there were only three documents with classification markings among 33,000 emails. It is utter nonsense.
The lack of classification markings in the Clinton email scandal was due in part because these were emails. There is no classification automatically stamped on text being typed out and sent within minutes by aides. While attachments and some emails can have classification markings, the whole point of using secure servers is that emails are created in the moment with inevitable slips in referencing classified material.
Nevertheless, the emails had classified information, including top-secret information tied to “Special Access Programs.” Yet some allies emphasize the inspector general also noted that in some cases there was “conscious effort to avoid sending classified information, by writing around the most sensitive material.” It failed. The emails still contained classified information.
That’s why she was reckless to use her own server: That does not mean that it warranted criminal charges or the mantra “lock her up.” Such mistakes on private servers are more vulnerable to capture by foreign intelligence services. Indeed, according to the FBI, “hostile actors gained access” to some of the information through the emails of Clinton’s associates and aides.
“Comey admitted he was wrong.”
It’s not entirely clear what Hillary is referencing here. But Comey never said there was no classified information in her emails — he said the opposite. He condemned her handling of the classified material while saying it didn’t warrant prosecution.
Comey did backtrack later, but not on this point. He said his “mistake” was in how he described her conduct: “I should’ve worked harder to find a way to convey that it’s more than just the ordinary mistake, but it’s not criminal behavior, and find different words to describe that.”
However, she had “dozens of conversations on email about secret topics” and “I think eight about top-secret topics,” he added. “So if I’m gonna be honest, I have to say somehow it’s more than ordinary sloppiness.”
Hillary has previously referred to different accounts over the precise markings on three emails with actual classification markings. Comey did state later that the classification markings on marked emails were “confidential” rather than one marked “secret.” (Clinton claimed not to know what a “(C)” classification even meant on a document). However, once again, they dealt with marked emails not the disclosure of classified information in the course of communications on the unsecured private server.
“A Clinton Standard.”
Clinton objects that she’s held to a different standard. That’s true — but not for the reason she cites. She’s long been subject to her own standard in brushing off alleged criminal conduct. Indeed, her husband Bill Clinton, personifies a family immunity from such charges. A federal judge and even Democrats concluded that he committed perjury in his sworn statements but he was never charged. Some of those who have clamored for criminal charges against Trump and others for an array of crimes were adamant that Bill Clinton should not be impeached, let alone charged, for the federal crime.
Hillary Clinton has repeatedly avoided criminal charges even as close associates were charged. Many believe she used insider information from a friend at Tyson Foods to reap a huge windfall on cattle futures in the 1970s. No charge. Then there was Whitewater. Bill Clinton later pardoned Susan McDougal, who went to jail in connection to the fraudulent land scheme that involved both Clintons. For Hillary, no charge.
Then there were the key long-sought Whitewater documents. After the case was effectively over, they suddenly appeared. The New York Times called the documents “elusive,” as if they moved by free will. Investigators specifically sought those records, and Clinton’s team denied possession only for them to be found later outside her office. Sound familiar? No charge.
The Clinton Standard is most evident in the email scandal. Clinton’s staff unilaterally destroyed thousands of emails with BleachBit despite being aware in 2014 that Congress and the State Department were seeking the evidence. I know few clients who would have the temerity to order such a unilateral destruction. Her lawyers turned over about 30,000 work-related emails to the State Department and deleted 33,000 others, unilaterally deeming them “personal.”
For a surprisingly long period, Clinton and her staff did not fully cooperate with investigators in refusing to turn over her emails and other evidence to State and DOJ investigators, including laptops holding suspected classified information. That delayed efforts to estimate any national-security damage, but there was no raid.
The FBI cut deals with her aides to secure their cooperation, and even then more classified material was found on the laptop of former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), who was married to top Clinton aide Huma Abedin — 49,000 emails potentially relevant to the Clinton investigation. Again, no charges.
So Hillary inadvertently hit upon one demonstrably true statement. There is a Hillary Clinton Standard, and that’s not good for anything other than hat sales.
Jonathan Turley is an attorney and professor at George Washington University Law School.
“ But Hillary’s denial of what was found on her server exposes something far more serious than a simply false claim. It reflects establishment figures’ sense of license that they can literally rewrite history with little fear of contradiction by the media.”
Oh the delicious irony! Where was Turley criticizing Trump for his more egregious “sense of license” that literally rewrites history with zero fear of contradiction by the media ?
Trump has been so abusive of that “license” that he’s literally normalized it.
“Clinton’s staff unilaterally destroyed thousands of emails with BleachBit despite being aware in 2014 that Congress and the State Department were seeking the evidence.”
And that’s *not* obstruction?!
I’m not a lawyer, but I do have two eyes.
So here’s the essence of the Left’s destruction of the rule of law, and its toppling of a blind Lady Justice:
When the target is one of you own, you defang the DOJ/FBI. When the target is one of your opponents, you weaponize the DOJ/FBI.
Clinton’s staff did not intentionally delete the emails. That was established early in the investigation. In order fit the government to prove a crime was committed they had to prove that the erasure was intentional. They didn’t have evidence to prove intent.
Trump’s problems are more acute because he showed intent to keep documents he illegally possessed and showed intent to obstruct law enforcement. Thanks to Trump shooting his mouth off and nobody being there to tell him to shut up.
Turley reminds us of a time when Democrats respected the truth and fought to expose it through some of its iconic organizations like the ACLU and others. The party of FDR and Truman hardly exists today except in name. It has been taken over by parasites who consumed it from within until there was nothing decent left. This country needs two political parties to maintain the proper tension that guarantees our democracy and the health of our republic. The media that once played the role of monitoring both parties have now aligned with each according to its own choice. As more and more republicans are elected to office this fall, perhaps those democrats who are able to see past the hatred and distrust of those in charge of the party will see the light and recapture what once was. A good housecleaning is long overdue.
More than two parties would be even better!
Thank you JT for reminding us all how these corrupt criminal politicians protect each other. Sooner or later the power and money corrupts all of them. They brag about their many years in office but the state of the nation is a result of their tenure, (nothing to brag about). The majority of them have never had a real job but suckled off the nation’s breast. When they finally leave office their flush with cash. Meanwhile questionable spending on bogus programs leaves the nation deep in debt. They crush outsiders who enter their world of corruption for fear of exposure. Now the New Democrat openly embrace Marxism or do they view it as a vehicle for perpetual power?
One thing we Americans better take the time to carefully vet all political candidates and ensure our elections are fair and tamper proof. God help the republic and us all if we fail.
I guess JT has taken to heart the mantra, “but what about the emails?”
How about a new mantra, “But what about the classified documents in his house?”
Stop it! Stop it now! Both sides engage in criminal conduct that gets ordinary people in jail. Just look at Reality Winner. How about Snowdon? The list goes on about low level people either sent scrambling or put in jail for far, far lessor offenses than master trump and ms Hillary have done. Stop it now, Do the crime, do the time. Isn’t that what trump said?
Hillary was confused about the use of zeros. She thought zero accountability and zero charges equaled zero “classified emails”. Obviously not a math major since so many other things had to be accounted for in the equation delineating her lawless behavior and culpability but absent of any accounting.
in clinic today. Neither Patients, medical staff, allied staff, etc are mentioning the regurgitated talking points of our politico overlords, e.g. abortion, etc. Violent crime, deteriorating trajectory of our nation, and of course wages not keeping apace with inflation, these are the concerns of Medicaid population folks Richmond have. All express concern as to providing for their families, single mothers especially, blacks across the board are anxious about the US in general. Many express returning to religious practices which surprises me. There is hope yet.
Biden / Trump are a disgrace. If they had any honor they would immediately bow out of the political forum, do what is best for the country, and allow people to come together. It would be wonderful as well if the Feds stepped away from medicine and allowed the once sacrosanct physician-patient relationship to dictate medicine.
First do no harm
“It would be wonderful as well if the Feds stepped away from medicine and allowed the once sacrosanct physician-patient relationship to dictate medicine.
First do no harm ”
Yes, that would be great.
And after those in the medical community have been largely exposed the last 3 years that they would have pulled ALL of those claimed vaccines. (Curse Them)
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VIDEO: Megi Bakradze- the First Nurse to Receive AstraZeneca Vaccine in 2021 — DIED 24 Hours Later
By Jim Hoft
Published September 8, 2022 at 10:35am
939 Comments
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In 2021, Georgian nurse Megi Brakadze, 27, was one of the first patients to take the AtraZeneca vaccine.
Within 24 hours she was dead.
Doctors tried to restart her heart but were not able to revive her completely.
For some reason, Megi’s story did not make the headlines. It was not allowed.
TRENDING: VA Suspends Benefits to Family of Marine Corps Veteran Zach Rehl — A Non-Violent Defendant Charged with ‘Seditious Conspiracy’ and Held Without Bail – Despite No Altercations with Police — PLEASE HELP ZACH AND HIS FAMILY!
Megi’s death came a week after Italian clarinet teacher, Sandro Tognatti, died following the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab.
More………
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/09/video-megi-bakradze-first-nurse-receive-astrazeneca-vaccine-2021-died-24-hours-later/
Thank you for sharing your useful perspective on vox populi, meeting daily as you do with more and less affluent citizens.
In other Clinton news, Trump’s lawsuit against her and others has been dismissed without prejudice:
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.610157/gov.uscourts.flsd.610157.267.0.pdf
By a CIinton appointed judge. How convenient.
Randomly assigned, just like Judge Cannon.
“ Hillary Clinton’s disbelief this week was shared by many critics left dumbfounded by her claim her private server contained “zero” classified documents.”
Hillary never made that claim. Turley is being disingenuous with the facts as usual. The article he used from the Washington post is talking about Clinton not knowing what the “C” in her emails stood for. The “C” stood for confidential or classified. That’s not a claim that she claimed there were zero classified documents.
Second her server was not “unsecured”, it was firewalled for security as any reasonable technician will put in place, especially knowing it’s the Secretary of State. Turley omits a lot of facts in with his attempt to do a whataboutism to deflect from Trump’s bigger and more serious problem. For example Hillary was corresponding with aides who WERE authorized to share classified or confidential documents. Her server was never breached. However her aides laptops were more vulnerable and some were supposedly hacked. That’s still not proof that her private server was.
Comey and the FBI agreed that she didn’t commit any crime. But she DID violate department policies.
Trump on the other hand did commit multiple crimes by taking and refusing to hand back classified documents that were not his to keep. He was in possession of stolen documents including the highest level of classified documents that should never have left the White House.
Hillary’s is private server issue and the handling of classified documents is nothing in comparison to Trump’s. Turley’s attempt to make a comparison is a deeply flawed “whataboutism”.
What are you talking about? Turley links to Clinton’s tweets where she claims that there were zero classified emails and that Comey admitted his error. Nothing to do with the WaPo.
Svelaz lives in a dream progressive utopia where up is down, and green is blue.
Yes, Turley does link to Clinton’s tweet where she wrote “The fact is that I had zero emails that were classified.” Her tweet thread in turn links to the following:
“How Many Of ‘Her Emails’ Were Classified? Actually, Zero”
https://www.nationalmemo.com/amp/hillary-clinton-emails-2658142483-2658142483
It says “In the recent coverage that references her emails, former FBI Director James Comey is sometimes quoted as saying that of the 33,000 Clinton emails examined by bureau investigators, three had classification markings. … Those three State Department documents were “call sheets,” innocuous memos reminding Clinton to make scheduled phone calls. During her FBI interview, investigators showed her one of those memos, reminding her to place a condolence call to the president of Malawi–not exactly a top secret matter. As Comey himself later admitted, any classification marking on that sheet had been wrongly applied. … the second review began with a July 31, 2019 notice from State Department officials that they “suspected” Clinton might be responsible for 12 classified “spillages,” this investigation concluded nine weeks later that she did not “bear any individual culpability” for those incidents. … nearly all of the documents at issue had been classified retroactively – meaning they had carried no markings identifying them as such when Clinton handled them.” (emphasis in the original)
So a key question is: is that statement correct?
Well that makes sense as to why she made that claim. The emails were classified AFTER they were investigated.
If that’s the case then Hillary is technically correct.
Daniel,
You’re right, in Twitter she said that. HOWEVER, the hyperlink to that claim sends you to the New York post article where she doesn’t say that.
Svelaz,
You clicked on the wrong hyperlink.
The text “Hillary Clinton’s disbelief this week was shared by many critics left dumbfounded by her claim her private server contained “zero” classified documents.” links to the NYPost article.
The text “‘As Trump’s problems continue to mount, the right is trying to make this about me again. There’s even a ‘Clinton Standard.’ The fact is that I had zero emails that were classified,’ her but-my-emails tweet continued” links to her tweet.
Svelaz: James Comey’s statement regarding the Clinton investigation can be found here: https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/press-releases/statement-by-fbi-director-james-b-comey-on-the-investigation-of-secretary-hillary-clinton2019s-use-of-a-personal-e-mail-system. Regarding security of the private server, Comey’s said: “None of these [classified] e-mails should have been on any kind of unclassified system, but their presence is especially concerning because all of these e-mails were housed on unclassified personal servers not even supported by full-time security staff, like those found at Departments and Agencies of the U.S. Government—or even with a commercial service like Gmail.” Regarding documents “leaving the White House,” Comey said that Clinton extensively used her private server via mobile devices around the world. (” She also used her personal e-mail extensively while outside the United States, including sending and receiving work-related e-mails in the territory of sophisticated adversaries. Given that combination of factors, we assess it is possible that hostile actors gained access to Secretary Clinton’s personal e-mail account.”) “Regular” recipients of her emails were hacked. (“We do assess that hostile actors gained access to the private commercial e-mail accounts of people with whom Secretary Clinton was in regular contact from her personal account.} In contrast to Trump’s supposed lack of co-operation”, Comey said of Clinton’s team: “It is also likely that there are other work-related e-mails that they did not produce to State and that we did not find elsewhere, and that are now gone because they deleted all e-mails they did not return to State, and the lawyers cleaned their devices in such a way as to preclude complete forensic recovery.”
Clinton should have been indicted. Based on the information to date, Trump should also be indicted.
Is Turley going to discuss the DOJ’s filings yesterday — their motion to stay Judge Cannon’s order pending appeal, focused on the subset of 100+ documents with classified markings, their notice of appeal to the 11th Circuit, their motion to unseal the Filter Review Team’s status report — and Judge Cannon’s order that Trump respond to the motion to stay no later than Monday morning?
“I have few clients with the temerity to oversee such destruction” says the guy supporting the guy who flushed state documents down the toilet regularly according to people who worked with him.
Don’t you think the plumbing would back up? I hope someone holds your hand when you cross the street.
I’m no fan of Trump, but HC, Bill Clinton, Hunter and others avoid prosecution despite flagrant conduct, yet Trump ends a sentence with a preposition and is impeached or under withering, multiple criminal investigations! WTF?
The passing of Queen Elizabeth II closes the chapter on the Greatest Generation. Their generation was not perfect but was one of achievement, stability and dignity. They understood the evils of tyranny and the requirements of service.
We are now experiencing and witnessing Orwellian dystopia. It is bizarre and unsettling.
EM:
It’s worth remembering that the “Greatest Generation” raised the suceeding ones. It’s also said that the greatest generation of Englishmen died during the WW1. That sad fact brought them near-destruction under Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain who managed to survive the war but became feckless leaders. Only Churchill staunched the bleeding. I hope we haven’t suffered the same fate with our feminized progeny of WW2 veterans. The good do most assuredly die young but, more often that not, so do the brave and competent. It’s why Trumnp’s greatest accomplishment was to keep us out of war.
Mespo,
Well said.
Yes, as a son of Great Generation parents, I can say we baby boomers failed miserably in political leadership. Bill Clinton… Bush II… Romney here in Massachusetts… With Obama being of the next generation-*, I thought maybe that generation was rightfully taking over with a chance of getting back to progress. And then, instead we’ve gone two generations backwards. Biden, Pelosi, Hoyer, Clyburn and many other leaders predate the baby boom. How did that happen?
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*Obama WAS born at the tail end of the baby boom but his parents were not of the Greatest Generation
Did Queen Elizabeth & Prince Charles authorize the assignation of Princess Diana?
Active in disputing the official version of events were the British tabloid newspaper, the Daily Express, and Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed, whose son, Dodi, was Diana’s partner at the time and also died in the crash. In 2003, Diana’s butler Paul Burrell published a note that he claimed had been written by Diana in October 1993, in which there were allegations that her husband was “planning ‘an accident’ in [Diana’s] car, brake failure and serious head injury” so that he could marry again. She had allegedly expressed similar concerns in October 1995 to Lord Mishcon, her solicitor, that “reliable sources” had told her “that she and Camilla would be put aside” for Charles to marry Tiggy Legge-Bourke.
A special Metropolitan Police inquiry team was established in 2004, Operation Paget, headed by Commissioner John Stevens to investigate the various conspiracy theories which led up to the British inquest. This investigation looked into 175 conspiracy claims that had been made by Fayed. In 2005, Prince Charles, as a witness, told Stevens that he did not know about his former wife’s note from 1995 and could not understand why she had these feelings.
Fayed has persistently propounded what were found to be conspiracy theories at the inquest and has repeatedly claimed that he believes his son was murdered with Diana.
Blinded by TDS and lacking integrity, our resident lefties will attack Turley for pointing out the truth.
Waiting for an onslaught of “Fox.., liar, but…”.
Anything except facing the facts in the column.
Ugly people.
Just give it a few more minutes, Anonymous apparently hasn’t gotten up.
“For a surprisingly long period, Clinton and her staff did not fully cooperate with investigators in refusing to turn over her emails and other evidence to State and DOJ investigators, including laptops holding suspected classified information. That delayed efforts to estimate any national-security damage, but there was no raid.”
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The very defintion of the politicized (ie corrupt) cop and the two-tiered justice system in favor of Dims. Every federal judge should throw out every criminal case brought against a Republican on selective prosecution grounds. That’s how you send a black-robed message.
God save the Queen…That is Queen Elizabeth, not Queen Hillary.
I never understood this romance with the royals. Didn’t we fight a war or two to rid us of these troublesome ruling classers? The death of most (but not all) people is sad and we do/did have ties with our English-originating island (that we saved from extinction twice) but why all the love for a wealthy family that has one of its members as a figure-head leader pass on to their guilded reward?
I never understood this romance with the royals.
Agreed.
My mom was of English descent. While she came from a broken home, her dad walked out on the family just before the depression, but we think her four grandparents were British.
She had a deep emotional connection to British Royalty.
Watching stuff like Downton Abbey, educated me on the how Governance by aristocracy, operated. You cant cancel 1000 years of aristocracy in a couple of generations.
I suspect after a year or so several Commonwealth nations will then assert their full independence from the UK, especially in the Caribbean. Several would have left sooner but deferred their action out of respect for the Queen or at least not to affront her. I believe Charles III will have much work to do in convincing these other governments to remain.
Darren, What would those nations sacrifice by breaking away from the UK. I just thought there must be some benefit operating under the crown.
Thank you Professor Turley for writing about Clinton’s flagrant lies. Same as it ever was. Hillary continues to spread her lies. The fake news journalists simply report her words with never a pushback or factcheck correction. Interview after interview, they allow Hillary’s lies to go unchallenged. The brainwashed public hears the sound bite lies repeated over and over. Rinse and repeat.
Democrats have weaponized fake news, weaponized big tech censorship, weaponized the FBI, DOJ, IRS, Education, and all levers of government against their political opponents. The Democrat ruling party is the “threat to our democracy” — not law abiding MAGA Republicans!
Vote Republican in November unless you prefer to continue living under a ruthless, lawless, unconstitutional, corrupt Democrat dictatorship hellbent on destroying our constitution, trampling over our rights and ‘fundamentally transforming’ the country they so despise.
Yeah, vote for the guy that kept highly classified documents at his home and in his wife’s closet so he could sho them to visitors.
Stop this BS, Both sides are criminals. It has to stop, Let it stop today with a guy caught red handed with classified documents in his house.
BT – “Yeah, vote for the guy that kept highly classified documents at his home and in his wife’s closet so he could sho[w] them to visitors.” Do you have one scrap of evidence to support this statement?
“The FBI cut deals with her aides to secure their cooperation….” Now try real hard to remember how Mueller, the FBI and the DOJ treated and treats Trump’s aides and compare and contrast. The way that crimes are proved to the level needed for prosecution often involves testimony of those on the inside, the first thing the FBI did was neutralize those inside the Clinton, i.e. Democrat camp.
Now I challenge “Anonymous” ,the man now known as A Horse’s A** With No Name (apologies to the band America), and Svelaz et al to refute the column above without mentioning Trump. All the left has is, “yeah, but Trump….” You know that two people can be guilty OR NOT GUILTY at the same time, they are not mutually exclusive.
So repos and demos both flout the system and get away from criminal acts. So it’s good to say she got away with it so he can?
BS. It’s time descent people say enough is enough, no special treatment for the rich and powerful. Trump had classified documents at mar a logo, charge him. No excuses, Clinton did it, charge her if you still can. The buck stops today. No more BS, he did it, charge him.
It was obvious, blatant lie. Just like Soviets lied. It is a sign of power.
Hillary’s comment “reflects establishment figures’ sense of license that they can literally rewrite history with little fear of contradiction by the media.” Exactly!
Our Founding Fathers were geniuses, but they really blew it when it came to that whole, “freedom of the press” deal.
I think they blew it with the free exercise clause, which preferences religious beliefs over non-religious beliefs.
Did you ever think of what the founders believed? No. You think you are the center of the world when the reality is, that you are a tiny spec of nothing.