Navy sailor Kristian Saucier was pardoned by President Trump in March after spending a year in prison for taking classified photos onboard a nuclear submarine. Now, he is planning to sue former President Obama for treating his case differently than that of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who also mishandled classified information. Clinton, it was widely reported throughout her presidential campaign, used a private server to handle many sensitive State Department intel. Former FBI Director James Comey infamously said that Clinton was "extremely careless," but he concluded that her dangerous use of a private server wasn't grounds for criminal prosecution.
Why did she get off the hook but Saucier didn't?
“They interpreted the law in my case to say it was criminal, but they didn’t prosecute Hillary Clinton,” Saucier said. “Hillary is still walking free. Two guys on my ship did the same thing and weren’t treated as criminals. We want them to correct the wrong.”
Saucier answered his own question, surmising that he was being "used as an example" after the FBI's botched handling of the Clinton email probe.
At the time of his pardon in March, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Saucier's crime did not fit the punishment.
"While serving, he regularly mentored younger sailors and served as an instructor for new recruits," she said. "The sentencing judge found that Mr. Saucier's offense stands in contrast to his commendable military service."
Saucier is expected to file his lawsuit in Manhattan. He will list the U.S. Department of Justice, former FBI Director James Comey and former President Barack Obama as the defendants.
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