The Scandal Over Clinton’s Emails Still Isn’t a Scandal (no matter how much the GOP wish it was)

[Bill USA]

Last edited Thu Jun 9, 2016, 05:13 PM - Edit history (1)

[font size="3"] "The one thing that seems clear from the report is that Clinton’s email system was more secure than the one at the State Department."[/font]

[font size="3"]"A lot of the information in the new report was disclosed in a February letter by the IG—a fact not mentioned in most of the current news articles—and answers to questions the IG said it could not resolve are in documents disclosed by congressional investigators last year."[/font]


http://www.newsweek.com/hillary-clinton-email-scandal-not-scandal-464414

That means there were problems—lots of them. Many employees at the State Department not only used personal email accounts, they refused to use their government-issued laptops because they were lousy. A 2011 email cited by the report underscored this point. Written by the department’s former policy planning director and sent to Clinton, it said, [font size="3"]“State’s technology is so antiquated that NO ONE uses a State-issued laptop and even high officials routinely end up using their home email accounts to be able to get their work done quickly and effectively.”[/font]

With out-of-date equipment and poor support, plenty of mistakes were made. [font size="3"]A good example is when Powell had a private internet line installed in his office so he could use his personal email account on his home laptop. Under the rules, the new line shouldn’t have been put in, but it was. Powell, like every other secretary of state, never read the entire Foreign Affairs Manual; he dealt with foreign crises, wars and international diplomacy while depending on the relevant staff to determine whether it was appropriate to put a jack in his wall.[/font]

~~
~~

If Clinton’s account arrangement for nonclassified emails did not fit within the confines of that rule, none of the experts told her so. Clinton had groups of people responsible for overseeing her email operations, including one specifically dedicated to the job with the title "Special Adviser to the Deputy Chief Information Officer." He worked for Clinton throughout her entire term as secretary of state. In addition, the chief operations officer knew about the account, as did the deputy chief of staff for operations.


Then there was the division specifically charged with overseeing all communications systems for the Office of the Secretary and Its Executive Secretariat, or S/ES in State Department lingo, which included Clinton and all of her direct staff. The group responsible for email, computers and the like is called S/ES Office of Information Resources Management, better known as S/ES-IRM.[font size="+1"] As the report makes clear, officials in S/ES-IRM knew about Clinton’s email arrangement and were in frequent contact with the official directly in charge of maintaining security on Clinton’s private server.[/font] Near the beginning of her time in office, the division prepared memos about her use of a private server, which was in the basement of her guarded home. [font size="+1"]S/ES-IRM staff met multiple times with the special adviser in charge of the private email account and server, and sent emails to Clinton’s senior staff describing technical issues that arose with the system and the actions taken to resolve them. The special adviser also met with the department’s Cyber Threat Analysis Division to discuss the email system and security issues. The bottom line is that Clinton’s email arrangement was not some dark secret—the staffers who spent their careers learning the sections of the Foreign Affairs Manual that relate to emails knew all about it. [font color="red"]And the report cites nothing to suggest Clinton or her staff were told by the experts that there was any reason she shouldn’t use the system.[/font][/font]

~~
~~

[font size="+1"]Should someone around Clinton have been told about these concerns? Probably. Was anyone told? Nope—at least not based on the information contained in the report. The inspector general writes that Clinton never sought permission from legal counsel for the email arrangement, nor did Powell or Rice's senior staff. After all, when you go to a new job and the technology specialists set up your systems, do you then run to the company’s lawyers to make sure what they are doing complies with the rules? Or do you depend on them to tell you if there is a problem with the system?[/font]
(more)

[TeacherB87]

1. I wish it was just that nonsense.

But there are plenty of self-described progressives that are making this out like it's some specific indictment of Hillary Clinton. It's absurd.

[Jack Bone]

2. you are confusing the email, with the server.

Last edited Wed Jun 8, 2016, 08:37 PM - Edit history (1)

pay attention please...

The illegal (* on edit when a president orders his subordinates not to do things, that is a lawful order...and contradicting that order is "illegal&quot server is the issue....not "the damn emails"


carry on....

[Bill USA]

4. you really should read the OP before making a fool of yourself....I'll quote para 4 of excerpt:

[font size="+1"]As the report makes clear, officials in S/ES-IRM knew about Clinton’s email arrangement and were in frequent contact with the official directly in charge of maintaining security [font color="red"]on Clinton’s private server[/font]. Near the beginning of her time in office, [font color="red"]the division prepared memos about her use of a private server[/font][/font], which was in the basement of her guarded home. [font size="+1"]S/ES-IRM staff met multiple times with the special adviser in charge of the private email account and server, and sent emails to Clinton’s senior staff describing technical issues that arose with the system and the actions taken to resolve them. The special adviser also met with the department’s Cyber Threat Analysis Division to discuss the email system and security issues. The bottom line is that Clinton’s email arrangement was not some dark secret—the staffers who spent their careers learning the sections of the Foreign Affairs Manual that relate to emails knew all about it. [font color="red"]And the report cites nothing to suggest Clinton or her staff were told by the experts that there was any reason she shouldn’t use the system.[/font][/font]

... do you see the word [font size="+2"]"SERVER"[/FONT] in the excerpt above?????


... do you really think that the S/ES-IRM staff could send "emails to Clinton’s senior staff describing technical issues that arose with.." her private emails system - which was maintained on her server - WITHOUT KNOWING THE EMAILS WERE ON HER SERVER???

[FONT SIZE="+2"] ....TRY TO KEEP UP.[/FONT]...OKAY??

[SunSeeker]

5. The server was not "illegal." You are confusing right-wing talking points with facts.

Departmental policy does not equate to a criminal law.

If any departmental policies were violated, they were violated by virtually everyone in the State Department. They had to, their computer system was so antiquated, that was the only way they could do their job.

[Gore1FL]

7. "Not illegal" but incredibly stupid. nt

[Bill USA]

9. "incredibly stupid" as in way beyond the range of what all others did?? - cf with OP....

.. as has been noted before, Powell and Rice (top advisors) used personal email accounts with a commercial email service provider(CESP). Legally, there is no difference in using a personal email account for work through a (CESP) (where it is completely unsecure - due to accessibility to all emails by cyber security personnel of the CESP - who do not have U.S. government security clearances) and using your own server to handle your emails.

That means there were problems—lots of them. [font size="+1"]Many employees at the State Department not only used personal email accounts[/font], they refused to use their government-issued laptops because they were lousy. A 2011 email cited by the report underscored this point. Written by the department’s former policy planning director and sent to Clinton, it said, [font size="3"]“State’s technology is so antiquated that NO ONE uses a State-issued laptop and even high officials routinely end up using their home email accounts to be able to get their work done quickly and effectively.”[/font]

With out-of-date equipment and poor support, plenty of mistakes were made. [font size="3"]A good example is when Powell had a private internet line installed in his office so he could use his personal email account on his home laptop. Under the rules, the new line shouldn’t have been put in, but it was. Powell, like every other secretary of state, never read the entire Foreign Affairs Manual; he dealt with foreign crises, wars and international diplomacy while depending on the relevant staff to determine whether it was appropriate to put a jack in his wall.[/font]

and:

"The one thing that seems clear from the report is that Clinton’s email system was more secure than the one at the State Department."

From the article (referenced in the OP):

The Foreign Affairs Manual allowed for the use of personal email accounts under certain conditions, but never described what those conditions were. (That is why one of the recommendations from the inspector general’s report is for the State Department to issue “enhanced and more frequent guidance on the permissible use of personal email accounts to conduct official business.”)

...the next paragraph appeared in the OP:

If Clinton’s account arrangement for nonclassified emails did not fit within the confines of that rule, none of the experts told her so. Clinton had groups of people responsible for overseeing her email operations, including one specifically dedicated to the job with the title "Special Adviser to the Deputy Chief Information Officer." He worked for Clinton throughout her entire term as secretary of state. In addition, the chief operations officer knew about the account, as did the deputy chief of staff for operations.


Then there was the division specifically charged with overseeing all communications systems for the Office of the Secretary and Its Executive Secretariat, or S/ES in State Department lingo, which included Clinton and all of her direct staff. The group responsible for email, computers and the like is called S/ES Office of Information Resources Management, better known as S/ES-IRM.[font size="+1"] As the report makes clear, officials in S/ES-IRM knew about Clinton’s email arrangement and were in frequent contact with the official directly in charge of maintaining security on Clinton’s private server.[/font] Near the beginning of her time in office, the division prepared memos about her use of a private server, which was in the basement of her guarded home. [font size="+1"]S/ES-IRM staff met multiple times with the special adviser in charge of the private email account and server, and sent emails to Clinton’s senior staff describing technical issues that arose with the system and the actions taken to resolve them. The special adviser also met with the department’s Cyber Threat Analysis Division to discuss the email system and security issues. The bottom line is that Clinton’s email arrangement was not some dark secret—the staffers who spent their careers learning the sections of the Foreign Affairs Manual that relate to emails knew all about it. [font color="red"]And the report cites nothing to suggest Clinton or her staff were told by the experts that there was any reason she shouldn’t use the system.[/font][/font]

[Gore1FL]

13. I came on the heels of Bush and Palin e-mail scandals.

even if it wasn't worse than them, I want better than Powell and Rice and Bush and Palin. Big and colorful fonts won't change my mind.

[Bill USA]

16. the contention that she did something WAY out of bounds from what everybody else was doing is false.

If you decide to enforce a rule with one person, that nobody was paying attention to (assuming is was in print - which is not true), This is not being consistent with your enforcement.

There is a basic understanding in our society that laws should be applied the same with everybody, not selectively applied to only some people.

If you want to start changing things - fine. but don't enforce rules with one person that nobody else followed of even knew existed.

[font size="3"] IF there were such rules prohibiting certain set-ups then the IT experts in DoS would have certainly told her what she was doing would put her in violation of such regulaton:

"If Clinton’s account arrangement for nonclassified emails did not fit within the confines of that rule, none of the experts told her so."[/font]

That means there were problems—lots of them. [font size="3"]Many employees at the State Department not only used personal email accounts, they refused to use their government-issued laptops because they were lousy. A 2011 email cited by the report underscored this point. Written by the department’s former policy planning director and sent to Clinton, it said, [font size="+1"]“State’s technology is so antiquated that NO ONE uses a State-issued laptop and even high officials routinely end up using their home email accounts to be able to get their work done quickly and effectively.”[/font]

With out-of-date equipment and poor support, plenty of mistakes were made. [font size="3"]A good example is when Powell had a private internet line installed in his office so he could use his personal email account on his home laptop. Under the rules, the new line shouldn’t have been put in, but it was. Powell, like every other secretary of state, never read the entire Foreign Affairs Manual; he dealt with foreign crises, wars and international diplomacy while depending on the relevant staff to determine whether it was appropriate to put a jack in his wall.[/font]

~~
~~

If Clinton’s account arrangement for nonclassified emails did not fit within the confines of that rule, none of the experts told her so. Clinton had groups of people responsible for overseeing her email operations, including one specifically dedicated to the job with the title "Special Adviser to the Deputy Chief Information Officer." He worked for Clinton throughout her entire term as secretary of state. In addition, the chief operations officer knew about the account, as did the deputy chief of staff for operations.


Then there was the division specifically charged with overseeing all communications systems for the Office of the Secretary and Its Executive Secretariat, or S/ES in State Department lingo, which included Clinton and all of her direct staff. The group responsible for email, computers and the like is called S/ES Office of Information Resources Management, better known as S/ES-IRM.[font size="+1"] As the report makes clear, officials in S/ES-IRM knew about Clinton’s email arrangement and were in frequent contact with the official directly in charge of maintaining security on Clinton’s private server.[/font] Near the beginning of her time in office, the division prepared memos about her use of a private server, which was in the basement of her guarded home. [font size="+1"]S/ES-IRM staff met multiple times with the special adviser in charge of the private email account and server, and sent emails to Clinton’s senior staff describing technical issues that arose with the system and the actions taken to resolve them. The special adviser also met with the department’s Cyber Threat Analysis Division to discuss the email system and security issues. The bottom line is that Clinton’s email arrangement was not some dark secret—the staffers who spent their careers learning the sections of the Foreign Affairs Manual that relate to emails knew all about it. [font color="red"]And the report cites nothing to suggest Clinton or her staff were told by the experts that there was any reason she shouldn’t use the system.[/font][/font]

[Gore1FL]

18. I have a higher bar than "Powell and Rice did it."

Spamming isn't going to make me forget what I know about data security.

[Bill USA]

19. Powell & Rice used personal email accnts with commercial email service providers: NOT Secure

accounts with commercial email service providers ARE NOT SECURE

Powell & Rice used personal email accounts 4 gov business, with commercial email service providershttp://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=1961352

All large commercial email service providers have hundreds of personnel who labor to protect their systems from hackers and malware. NOTE:TO DO THEIR JOBS THESE CYBER-SECURITY PERSONNEL MUST HAVE THE ABILITY TO EXAMINE ANY AND ALL EMAILS/ATTACHMENTS THERETO ON THEIR SYSTEM. These employees of these private sector companies do NOT HAVE GOVERNMENT SECURITY CLEARANCES. THEREFORE ANY PERSONAL EMAIL ACCOUNTS WITH COMMERCIAL EMAIL SERVICE PROVIDERS ARE NOT SECURE.... even if they have not been hacked by someone outside the companies providing the email service. [font color="red"]Any classified information in those personal email accounts cannot be said, with confidence, to have NOT been compromised[/font].

What we have learned is that there is no evidence that HRC's server was hacked. Unlike personal email accounts with commercial email service providers which are subject to perusal by cyber-security personnel of the companies (do I really need to say it: without government security clearances) providing the email service.

To me, reality is preferrable to fables.

[SunSeeker]

3. K & R

[jalan48]

6. Unfortunately, the Republican's won't need to obstruct Hillary if she becomes President.

It will be four years of non-stop hearings and impeachment attempts. Meanwhile Wall Street and the big corporations will delight in the diversion the circus creates.

[Bill USA]

11. GOP plans to release Benghazi Inq (8) report just before the election, for maximum effect and so as

to not to allow time to expose the lies and bullshit in it.

[jalan48]

12. And that's just the appetizer.

The email scandal will be good for at least eight years. The corporate media will love the ratings boost. Actual government activities are very boring by comparison.

[Geronimoe]

8. Stupid is not a defense

Personnel including Hillary are not authorized to breach security protocol.

[Bill USA]

10. "even high officials routinely end up using their home email accounts to ... get their work done"

and:

"The one thing that seems clear from the report is that Clinton’s email system was more secure than the one at the State Department."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016159783#post9

[Gore1FL]

14. If true, that just makes for another email scandal. It doesn't make other bad choices acceptable. n

[Bill USA]

15. it makes the contention that HRC's choice was extraordinary & out of bounds from what everybody else

in Federal Government in D.C. did - invalid. It makes the contention that 'no personal email use' was the rule sound ridiculous. There was no such enforced policy, as Rice and Colin Powell practices showed.

[Gore1FL]

17. Everyone in the Federal government had servers in their basement!

Totally believable.

I'm in IT and take data security seriously.

Powell and Rice lied us into war, too. Will it be OK if Clinton does the same?

[Bill USA]

20. from the IG's report: "high officials routinely end up using their home email accounts"

Many employees at the State Department not only used personal email accounts, they refused to use their government-issued laptops because they were lousy. A 2011 email cited by the report underscored this point. Written by the department’s former policy planning director and sent to Clinton, it said, “State’s technology is so antiquated that NO ONE uses a State-issued laptop and even high officials routinely end up using their home email accounts to be able to get their work done quickly and effectively.”

using an email account with a commercial email provider is NOT secure. Investigations of HRC server has not revealed evidence of any successful hacks.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=2223553

accounts with commercial email service providers ARE NOT SECURE


http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=1961352

All large commercial email service providers have hundreds of personnel who labor to protect their systems from hackers and malware. NOTE:TO DO THEIR JOBS THESE CYBER-SECURITY PERSONNEL MUST HAVE THE ABILITY TO EXAMINE ANY AND ALL EMAILS/ATTACHMENTS THERETO ON THEIR SYSTEM. These employees of these private sector companies do NOT HAVE GOVERNMENT SECURITY CLEARANCES. THEREFORE ANY PERSONAL EMAIL ACCOUNTS WITH COMMERCIAL EMAIL SERVICE PROVIDERS ARE NOT SECURE.... even if they have not been hacked by someone outside the companies providing the email service. [font color="red"]Any classified information in those personal email accounts cannot be said, with confidence, to have NOT been compromised[/font].

What we have learned is that there is no evidence that HRC's server was hacked. Unlike personal email accounts with commercial email service providers which are subject to perusal by cyber-security personnel of the companies (do I really need to say it: without government security clearances) providing the email service.