Yesterday’s news that Hillary Clinton wouldn’t be indicted by the FBI for her mishandling of classified emails suggests that she gets special treatment. An almost identical FBI case last year resulted in the defendant banned from ever going near classified information. As president, Clinton would be deluged with classified information. We don’t need a president playing loose with national security.
Last year, Naval reservist Bryan Nishimura pleaded guilty to essentially Clinton’s behavior: unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials. The difference between Nishimura and Clinton? He was immediately sentenced to two years of probation, a $7,500 fine, and to surrender personal media containing classified materials. Nishimura was also ordered to surrender any currently held security clearance and to never again seek such a clearance.
According to court documents, Nishimura was deployed in Afghanistan in 2007 and 2008. In his role as an engineer for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, Nishimura accessed classified briefings and digital records that could only be viewed and kept on authorized government computers. Nishimura reportedly downloaded and stored records on his personal, unclassified electronic devices and storage media. He took the classified data when he traveled off-base in Afghanistan and also back home following his deployment. In the United States, Nishimura kept the information on unclassified systems in unauthorized locations and copied the materials onto at least one other unclassified system. Sound eerily familiar?
Nishimura’s actions came to light in early 2012, when he admitted to Naval personnel that he had handled classified materials inappropriately. Nishimura later admitted that, following his statement to Naval personnel, he destroyed a large quantity of classified materials he had maintained in his home. Despite that, when the Federal Bureau of Investigation searched Nishimura’s home in May 2012, agents recovered numerous classified materials in digital and hard copy forms. The investigation did not reveal evidence that Nishimura intended to distribute classified information to unauthorized personnel.
Though Clinton repeatedly said she didn’t send or receive any classified emails on her private server, FBI director James Comey said there were at least 110 classified emails. And that’s just among the fraction of emails Clinton had the courtesy to submit after culling through and rejecting emails she didn’t want to hand over. Thousands more emails were demolished. Comey described Clinton as “extremely careless” with classified material. Why should Americans trust that Clinton would put American interests ahead of personal ones given this revelation, along with her accepting foreign money–without proper approval–while serving as secretary of state?
Voters are stuck choosing between two top presidential candidates who are “extremely careless” in their respective lives. That’s why two-thirds of the country is open to a third-party alternative. Maybe Gary Johnson?
jay
July 6, 2016 at 9:58 pm
Hopefully, America can survive a Trump or Hillary Presidency. Then a millennial can run in 2020.
Take control of the house and senate, then pass a bill that prevents people from running for office once they are 50 years of age or older. Best way to prevent people from being career, crackpot politicians and destroying the country.