Is it Divine providence – or karma calling Hillary’s name? The FBI’s long awaited interrogation of Hillary, conducted Saturday at FBI headquarters, has come less than one week following the release of the House Select Committee on Benghazi’s report.
After all, it was the Select Committee’s investigation of the attack in Benghazi and death of four brave Americans, which exposed Hillary’s misconduct and malfeasance in using a private email server to send and receive highly sensitive and classified U.S. Government communications. The FBI investigation into Hillary’s use of a private email server and mishandling classified information is rapidly coming to a close as they push to finish the investigation prior to the Democratic convention.
Given the “Teflon ability” of the Clintons to avoid political fallout from past questionable dealings – Whitewater, Chinagate, Travelgate, Monica-‘gate’, Clinton Foundation’s “pay-to-play” – Hillary’s karma may be catching up with her now.
Just ask Peter Van Buren, a former State Department employee, whose career was ruined by Hillary’s accusations against him for mishandling classified information.
According to US News & World Report, “Van Buren lost his security clearance and then his job as a result of what he views as false allegations of mishandling information that wasn’t secret at all.” http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/08/14/if-your-name-isnt-hillary-the-hammer-for-mishandling-secrets
Despite the dozens of FBI agents investigating criminal actions, Hillary insists this is a “review”. I have news for you Hillary, the FBI does not assign dozens of federal agents and significant taxpayer resources for a speculative “review”. The Director of the FBI has already stated this is a criminal investigation.
Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said Saturday in a statement, “Secretary Clinton gave a voluntary interview this morning about her email arrangements while she was secretary.” I suppose Hillary could call it a “voluntary interview”. However, it would be good to know if Hillary took the Fifth Amendment at any point under FBI questioning?
As reported by NPR, at issue are four sections of the law: the Federal Records Act, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the National Archives and Records Administration‘s (NARA) regulations and Section 1924 of Title 18 of the U.S. Crimes and Criminal Procedure Code. In short:
- The Federal Records Act requires agencies hold onto official communications, including all work-related emails, and government employees cannot destroy or remove relevant records.
- FOIA is designed to “improve public access to agency records and information.”
- The NARA regulations dictate how records should be created and maintained. They stress that materials must be maintained “by the agency,” that they should be “readily found” and that the records must “make possible a proper scrutiny by the Congress.”
- Section 1924 of Title 18 has to do with deletion and retention of classified documents. “Knowingly” removing or housing classified information at an “unauthorized location” is subject to a fine or a year in prison.
Despite Clinton’s claim of no wrongdoing, the State Department has redacted information in her emails from her private server, and we have already learned many emails do indeed contain classified information. For instance, redactions include numerous names cited in Hillary’s emails (from her personal server), which violate the Central Intelligence Act of 1949 by citing names of CIA personnel. Not only is this a violation of national security, it puts people’s lives at risk.
When Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton told Breitbart News, “That’s what it suggests,” he was stating his finding that Hillary disclosed the names of CIA-classified sources on her personnel email server.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Hillary’s actions have put America’s national security at risk.
As we await the results of this criminal investigation, concerned Americans are counting on the FBI to ensure the rule of law is upheld without deference to a presumptive Presidential candidate.
Stephanie M. Jason is an international business consultant who is a Middle East and North Africa expert. Stephanie was a friend of the late Ambassador Chris Stevens and was with him in Tripoli, Libya two months prior to his murder in Benghazi. Stephanie is a Donald Trump supporter.
This article was also posted in The Hill.
