The FBI is broken, former Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta concludes in his Washington Post op-ed, published on Thursday night. In his analysis, Podesta demands to know why the agency responded disproportionately to Clinton's email scandal and the reports of Russian hacking in the 2016 election. While they were overzealous in their investigation of Clinton's emails, they now seem to be "lackadaisical" in their probe on Russia, Podesta notes.
But the FBI’s role is particularly troubling because of its power and responsibility — and because this is part of a trend. The Justice Department’s Inspector General issued a damning report this summer about the FBI’s failure to prioritize cyberthreats more broadly.
The election is over and the damage is done, but the threat from Russia and other potential aggressors remains urgent and demands a serious and sustained response.
Podesta had a few suggestions for the Obama administration going forward. The White House should declassify any intel they have on the hack and honor presidential electors' request to be briefed on the intelligence before the final vote deadline on December 19. He also wants Congress to launch its own investigation.
Podesta is probably so impassioned about the hacking claims because his email account was one of WikiLeaks' prime targets during the 2016 election. Thousands of emails he sent and received to his staffers were publicized, exposing some of Clinton's "problematic" Wall Street speeches and pay-to-play schemes between the Clinton Foundation and the State Department.
Clinton and the Obama White House are under the impression Russia intervened in the election to undermine her campaign.
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