Hillary Clinton’s email fiasco remains a topic of conversation. She might have thought it was blown out of proportion, but she certainly didn’t help neutralize its main concern. Clinton used a home-based server for all official business while serving as secretary of state under Obama. It wasn't secure. It was unauthorized. And she might have mishandled classified information. In 2016, as the Democratic Party’s nominee, this is a story. It was one that killed her numbers with voters. Her endless stream of lies about it also poured fuel on the fire. She said that she had gone to State Department officials for approval and that they signed off on it.
Not true, as stated in the State Department inspector general’s report at the time. Either way, the whole controversy rehashed many of the criticisms that plagued the power couple during Bill Clinton’s presidency, that being the two are secretive and they think the rules don’t apply to them. Hillary eventually decided to do the one thing that ensures non-stop talk about the server: she nixed doing press conferences.
Now, the State Department has finally concluded their review, where they cite 588 violations by 38 people (via AP):
The investigation, launched more than three years ago, determined that those 38 people were “culpable” in 91 cases of sending classified information that ended up in Clinton’s personal email, according to a letter sent to Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley this week and released on Friday. The 38 are current and former State Department officials but were not identified.
The investigation covered 33,000 emails that Clinton turned over for review after her use of the private email account became public. The department said it found a total of 588 violations involving information then or now deemed to be classified but could not assign fault in 497 cases.
For current and former officials, culpability means the violations will be noted in their files and will be considered when they apply for or go to renew security clearances. For current officials, there could also be some kind of disciplinary action. But it was not immediately clear what that would be.
Although the report identified violations, it said investigators had found “no persuasive evidence of systemic, deliberate mishandling of classified information.”
However, it also made clear the Clinton’s use of the private email had increased the vulnerability of classified information.
Oh, and let’s not forget that Hillary ordered her aide to strip the classified markings on sensitive documents. No one will be going to jail, but Hillary Clinton is not and never will be president of the United States. That’s good enough for me.
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