A tense House meeting occurred Tuesday to discuss the handling of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s email case. Most of the representatives present came to the same conclusion: Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s lack of transparency had broken the trust of the general pubic.
Rep. Trey Gowdy was particularly harsh when it was his turn to speak, criticizing a “two-tiered justice system” that holds different standards for different individuals.
“This dual track, [this] different set of rules for certain people and for others, it frankly should not matter whether you are running for president or running late to a kid’s ball game — the same rules should apply to everyone,” he said.
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Gowdy referred to the image of Lady Justice and what it represents. Blindfolded with a pair of scales, she is not supposed to see race, social economic status, gender or fame of the person on trial. However, to the public’s perception it seemed as if Clinton was given special treatment and Lady Justice was no longer “blindfolded.”
Lynch was put on the hot seat when Gowdy asked, “Why do you think it’s important to use official email to conduct official business?”
The attorney general responded, “I believe it’s important to do that. … It provides for a way of doing business in a secure system.”
“So you use official email to conduct official business?” Gowdy asked.
“Yes, sir, I do,” she answered.
Gowdy then asked, “Do you ever email, send or receive, classified information on personal email?”
“I do not,” Lynch answered.
Gowdy was looking for Lynch to admit that she didn’t send classified information on her personal server — not even the U.S. DOJ.gov account. The attorney general conceded that she used a completely separate system when handling classified documents because of security needs.
“Why is it important enough to you to not use personal email to conduct public business, and to use a separate, more safely guarded system when you do handle classified information?” Gowdy asked.
Lynch responded, “That is the practice that I’ve certainly always followed –“
Gowdy interrupted, “It’s not just a personal preference, is it?”
“No, it allows for the protection of the information,” she responded.
This proved a point about the hypocritical nature of the decision not to prosecute Clinton for her handling of classified material on her private email server. A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll show most Americans agree with Gowdy, as 56 percent of respondents thought the decision not to press charges was a mistake.
Source: Western Journalism
