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Jesus Malverde

(10,274 posts)
Thu May 26, 2016, 08:38 PM May 2016

Seventeen Words That Spelled Trouble for Hillary Clinton

posted a lengthy piece on Hillary Clinton’s general-election prospects when a long-awaited report from the State Department’s inspector general, a watchdog appointed by President Obama, was leaked, a day in advance of its release on Thursday. The report concluded that, as Secretary of State, Clinton violated the department’s rules by conducting official business via a private e-mail account and setting up a private e-mail server to handle and store her correspondence.

The story is big news. On Wednesday, it was all over the Internet. The broadcast networks featured it prominently in their evening newscasts. On Thursday, it led the print editions of the Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. While few readers and viewers will take in all the details in the report, they will surely get the message that Clinton broke the rules, and that her explanation for setting up her private e-mail system, which never seemed very credible, has now been discredited by her own words.

Clinton has repeatedly said that she set up her private e-mail system for the sake of convenience. The new report details an e-mail exchange from November, 2010, between Clinton and Huma Abedin, her deputy chief of staff. Abedin told her boss, “We should talk about putting you on state email or releasing your email address to the department so you are not going to spam.” (Apparently, some messages from Clinton’s private account were being intercepted by the department’s spam filter.) Clinton replied to Abedin, “Let’s get separate address or device but I don’t want any risk of the personal being accessible.”

Those seventeen words seem to confirm what many observers have suspected from the outset: Clinton’s main motive in setting up the e-mail system wasn’t to make it easier for her to receive all her messages in one place, or to do all her business on her beloved BlackBerry; it was to protect some of her correspondence—particularly correspondence she considered private—from freedom-of-information requests and other demands for details, for example, from Republican-run congressional committees.

http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/seventeen-words-that-spelled-trouble-for-hillary-clinton

31 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Seventeen Words That Spelled Trouble for Hillary Clinton (Original Post) Jesus Malverde May 2016 OP
She wanted to transact personal business on government time tularetom May 2016 #1
Yup. I like Obama and HRC really gave him the finger on this Arazi May 2016 #2
How else was she to contact Blumenthal against his direct orders? Betty Karlson May 2016 #23
Machiavelli is taking notes Fairgo May 2016 #25
"She planned to subvert Obama's leadership while she was shaking his hand." Betty Karlson May 2016 #26
It's a Faustian tragedy Fairgo May 2016 #27
Anyone who has worked in an organization with divisions Jesus Malverde May 2016 #5
It seems most media has focused like laser beams on that section of the report nadinbrzezinski May 2016 #3
again........this is a limited hangout! grasswire May 2016 #4
Very good observation. Jesus Malverde May 2016 #8
Good point... ljm2002 May 2016 #29
"...I don't want any risk of the personal being accessible." sorechasm May 2016 #6
'Personal' probably meaning Foundation. HooptieWagon May 2016 #9
^^^this is exactly what she was considering personal^^^ and she was wheeling and dealing for JudyM May 2016 #11
That's exactly right, imo ..... polly7 May 2016 #21
yes, you are right grasswire May 2016 #12
So don't do personal business on company time! XemaSab May 2016 #20
About that personal privacy thing... ljm2002 May 2016 #30
Her privacy and her security in keeping that privacy was #1. Nation Security #2 Seeinghope May 2016 #7
yes, the arrogance and narcissism are stunning grasswire May 2016 #13
She is beyond corrupt. I can't say anymore or I'll get in trouble. Seeinghope May 2016 #15
How about: she is a two-trick pony (war and greed)? Betty Karlson May 2016 #24
Huma Abedin held four Clinton-related jobs at once. Octafish May 2016 #10
All at the same time? Major Hogwash May 2016 #22
I just don't get it. bobbobbins01 May 2016 #14
Well Sydney Blumenthal was a personal friend and past advisor. Hillary wanted him as advisor while Seeinghope May 2016 #16
Foundation email. grasswire May 2016 #18
No, I still don't get it. bobbobbins01 May 2016 #19
one possibility alc May 2016 #28
The paramount issue here - unequivocally - is intent laserhaas May 2016 #17
Oh my. Cheese Sandwich May 2016 #31

tularetom

(23,664 posts)
1. She wanted to transact personal business on government time
Thu May 26, 2016, 08:41 PM
May 2016

and she didn't want anybody to know she was doing that.

Especially her boss, President Obama.

Kind of a kick in the nuts to him IMO.

Arazi

(6,829 posts)
2. Yup. I like Obama and HRC really gave him the finger on this
Thu May 26, 2016, 08:44 PM
May 2016

I hate this scandal for tarnishing his legacy amongst other reasons

 

Betty Karlson

(7,231 posts)
23. How else was she to contact Blumenthal against his direct orders?
Fri May 27, 2016, 06:20 AM
May 2016

War and greed, war and greed...

Fairgo

(1,571 posts)
25. Machiavelli is taking notes
Fri May 27, 2016, 07:16 AM
May 2016

She planned to subvert Obama's leadership while she was shaking his hand. His name was on the enemies list, it was fiat accompli.

 

Betty Karlson

(7,231 posts)
26. "She planned to subvert Obama's leadership while she was shaking his hand."
Fri May 27, 2016, 07:41 AM
May 2016

That is the character capable of destroying the Democratic Party in pursuit of her own ambitions. Potentially criminal, certainly unworthy of the presidency.

Jesus Malverde

(10,274 posts)
5. Anyone who has worked in an organization with divisions
Thu May 26, 2016, 08:50 PM
May 2016

Would recognize this as complete disregard for her boss.

grasswire

(50,130 posts)
4. again........this is a limited hangout!
Thu May 26, 2016, 08:50 PM
May 2016

It's akin to the yellowcake, or the 16 words of George W. Bush.

The vulnerability for Clinton lies not with the personal privacy issue.

Her vulnerability is in her failure to obey laws regarding the protection of national secrets.

Don't allow the focus of these media stories to cover up the real culpability.

ljm2002

(10,751 posts)
29. Good point...
Fri May 27, 2016, 10:39 AM
May 2016

...also there is the question of official corruption, given the advantageous financial deals for the Clinton Foundation from entities doing business with the US, mediated by the State Dept. We don't know much about this side of things yet, but there had already been articles detailing some, er, "interesting" appearances of quid pro quo.

sorechasm

(631 posts)
6. "...I don't want any risk of the personal being accessible."
Thu May 26, 2016, 08:58 PM
May 2016

I can sympathize. I don't want my personal being accessible either. But I'm not running for the most public office in the land. I don't run an agency who's rules specifically prohibit privatizing public information. If you don't believe in transparency or the rules you are entrusted to enforce, why did you take the job of SOS? If you don't trust the rules or those enforcing the rules of the State Dept., and therefore take extreme measures to skirt those rules, it implies that your motives are not for public service. If a public office was used for personal gain, I can understand why you would not want the personal being accessible by the public. Nonetheless, it is the law.

 

HooptieWagon

(17,064 posts)
9. 'Personal' probably meaning Foundation.
Thu May 26, 2016, 09:59 PM
May 2016

She didn't want FOIA request or nosy State Dept IT guy discovering quid-pro-quos. That would destroy any presidential ambitions.

JudyM

(29,250 posts)
11. ^^^this is exactly what she was considering personal^^^ and she was wheeling and dealing for
Thu May 26, 2016, 10:12 PM
May 2016

The Foundation in her capacity as SOS.

Couldn't let that get out!

polly7

(20,582 posts)
21. That's exactly right, imo .....
Fri May 27, 2016, 05:40 AM
May 2016

and it pisses me off to no end. Yemeni children have suffered so much d/t those weapons gotten by Saudi Arabia through donations to her Foundation during her term as SoS. HRW has been calling out the war crimes, and no-one cares.

grasswire

(50,130 posts)
12. yes, you are right
Thu May 26, 2016, 10:14 PM
May 2016

Every time she says "personal", substitute the word "Foundation".

You want to start an OP to that effect? If not, I will.

XemaSab

(60,212 posts)
20. So don't do personal business on company time!
Fri May 27, 2016, 01:31 AM
May 2016

I don't dick around on Facebook at work. I don't send raunchy emails from work. I don't do online shopping at work.

I DON'T CONDUCT MY PERSONAL BIZ AT WORK.

The idea that this would be a valid excuse for anyone over the age of 25 is laughable.

ljm2002

(10,751 posts)
30. About that personal privacy thing...
Fri May 27, 2016, 10:46 AM
May 2016

...this is a woman who vilified Edward Snowden for revealing how the NSA spies on all of us, and who wants to initiate a Manhattan Project to enable the government to spy on all of us even more effectively.

She claims to be ignorant of technology ("what, you mean with a cloth?&quot -- ha ha so cute -- and yet instead of hiring a true professional to set up her private email server, she hires a sort-of techie with a degree in political science to set it up. She then proceeds to conduct all of her U.S. Dept of State business on said server, compromising national security, but hey, she protected her own privacy, so it's all good, right?

Forgive me if I give a big, fat FU finger to that.

 

Seeinghope

(786 posts)
7. Her privacy and her security in keeping that privacy was #1. Nation Security #2
Thu May 26, 2016, 08:59 PM
May 2016

Things like her keeping her friend Sydney Blumenthal as confidante advisor even though the White House ....President Obama Administration not to have Sydney Blumenthal as an advisor. Things like that needed to be kept secret because Hillary Clinton does what she thinks she should be able to do.

grasswire

(50,130 posts)
13. yes, the arrogance and narcissism are stunning
Thu May 26, 2016, 10:15 PM
May 2016

She apparently thought so little of Obama and so highly of herself that she ran a rogue foreign policy right under Obama's nose.

 

Betty Karlson

(7,231 posts)
24. How about: she is a two-trick pony (war and greed)?
Fri May 27, 2016, 06:23 AM
May 2016

Because that is all her "foreign policy experience" amounts to: TPP, TTIP, Honduras Coup, Iraq War Resolution, pushing fracking to other nations, Libya, channeling weapons to various Syrian groups, then let Syria stew, ...

war and greed.

Octafish

(55,745 posts)
10. Huma Abedin held four Clinton-related jobs at once.
Thu May 26, 2016, 10:05 PM
May 2016

It'd blow up anything less than a BlackBerry, Presidential DateWatch Oyster Perpetual Edition.

Besides, who can remember all those fool passwords?

Major Hogwash

(17,656 posts)
22. All at the same time?
Fri May 27, 2016, 05:57 AM
May 2016

I didn't know that.

But, it's hard to keep up on all the news coming out about this situation.

Someone should write a book about it!



bobbobbins01

(1,681 posts)
14. I just don't get it.
Thu May 26, 2016, 10:20 PM
May 2016

Why not have a government account for government business, and a personal account separate. Why did she go through all the extra, shady business?

 

Seeinghope

(786 posts)
16. Well Sydney Blumenthal was a personal friend and past advisor. Hillary wanted him as advisor while
Fri May 27, 2016, 12:56 AM
May 2016

she was Secretary of State. The Obama Administration said no to Hillary using Blumenthal as her advisor.

She still used Blumenthal as her advisor.

Blumenthal was on the payroll for The Clinton Foundation.

She did have arms contracts given out to M.E. Countries

The Clinton Foundation did receive in the upper hundreds of millions of dollars in donations during that same time period from many of those same countries.

I am sure that there are many many of things like this.

grasswire

(50,130 posts)
18. Foundation email.
Fri May 27, 2016, 01:11 AM
May 2016

Where she says "personal" you should substitute "Foundation".

She did not want Foundation matters to become public.

Now it makes sense, doesn't it?

alc

(1,151 posts)
28. one possibility
Fri May 27, 2016, 08:48 AM
May 2016

is that she wanted the recipients to know that the "work" email about the arms sale being considered by the state dept. is coming from the same person sending a "personal" email to organize a meeting with a clinton foundation representative about donations.

I have to think that's what the FBI is looking at. There have been leaks/rumors that the investigation is about corruption not just classified information and I can't imagine an investigation about an email server would take 14+ months including 8+ months after the server and cloud data was found. The laws about classified information and communications aren't that complicated and don't require intent and it could have been concluded well before the DNC convention. Intent does matter for corruption. Was she just using a work connections to raise money for a charity (like selling girl scout cookies at work)? Did it only happen when the clinton foundation representative was having trouble contacting a potential donor? Or did she intentionally use the same email address to apply pressure for donations? What if it wasn't intentional on her part but was perceived that way by individuals/governments working with the US government?

 

laserhaas

(7,805 posts)
17. The paramount issue here - unequivocally - is intent
Fri May 27, 2016, 01:03 AM
May 2016

She intended to dodge FOIA/ scrutiny

And her IT guy missing all his emails

Is further corroboration that intent was in bad faith

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