Government Report on Hillary Clinton Email Scandal MUCH WORSE Than Expected

[Segami]

Hillary Clinton and her top aides failed to comply with U.S. State Department policies on records by using her personal email server and account, possibly jeopardizing official secrets, an internal watchdog concluded in a long-awaited report (pdf) on Wednesday. Clinton also never sought permission from the department's legal staff to use the server, which was located at her New York residence, a request which—if filed—"would not" have been approved, the report by the agency's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) states.

"At a minimum, Secretary Clinton should have surrendered all emails dealing with Department business before leaving government service and, because she did not do so, she did not comply with the Department's policies that were implemented in accordance with the Federal Records Act," it continues.

The findings are the latest development in the email scandal that has persisted throughout Clinton's presidential campaign to little effect—but its conclusion was unexpectedly critical. And it could spell trouble for the former secretary of state in the final stretch of the election, as public trust in Clinton continues to decline while polls show her rival Bernie Sanders has become the most formidable candidate against Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump.

As Politico's Rachael Bade, Josh Gerstein, and Nick Gass write:

The watchdog’s findings could exact further damage to Clinton’s campaign, and they provide fresh fodder for Trump, who has already said he will go after Clinton for the email scandal “bigly.” The Democratic frontrunner’s bid for the White House has already been hindered by high unfavorability ratings, with people saying they don’t trust her.

The report represents the latest pushback — in this case by a nonpartisan government entity — against her campaign’s claim that she did not break any rules and that her use of a private server was completely allowed.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/hillary-clinton-email-inspector-general-report-223553

In fact, technology staff in the Information Resource Management (S/ES-IRM) office who brought up concerns about Clinton's use of her private server were reportedly instructed not to question the arrangement.

"In one meeting, one staff member raised concerns that information sent and received on Secretary Clinton’s account could contain Federal records that needed to be preserved in order to satisfy Federal recordkeeping requirements," the report states. "According to the staff member, the Director [of S/ES-IRM] stated that the Secretary's personal system had been reviewed and approved by Department legal staff and that the matter was not to be discussed any further. As previously noted, OIG found no evidence that staff in the Office of the Legal Adviser reviewed or approved Secretary Clinton's personal system."

Other staff from different offices were also instructed "never to speak of the Secretary's personal email system again." On Wednesday, Clinton's campaign was quick to point out that the report's criticisms also extended to the State Department in general, which the OIG found to be riddled with "longstanding, systemic weaknesses related to electronic records and communications" and noted that other department officials, including former Secretary of State Colin Powell, also used personal servers while in office. The findings were issued a day after a group of U.S. intelligence veterans, including William Binney, John Kiriakou, and Diane Roark, published an open letter to President Barack Obama urging him to expedite the report.

"The question is not whether Secretary Clinton broke the law," the letter states. "She did. If the laws are to be equally applied, she should face the same kind of consequences as others who have been found, often on the basis of much less convincing evidence, guilty of similar behavior."

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/05/25/government-report-clinton-email-scandal-much-worse-expected

[Segami]

1. Hillary flat-out LIED when she claimed...

"...that she did not break any rules and that her use of a private server was completely allowed..."

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

20. Hillary lied?!... I'm in shock! (not)... countin down the clock til Hillary suspends her campaign.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2016!!!

[msongs]

2. oh look its another press release from the sanders campaign nt

[shawn703]

3. Ugh, what a train wreck

Too bad nobody could see this coming.

[dchill]

7. Yeah, why was there no inkling?

How did our otherwise flawless media miss this?

[Bob41213]

10. Why didn't anyone warn us?

Shit, this came out of fucking no where...

[dchill]

14. I'm literally blindsided.

Bigly.

[winter is coming]

16. IMO, this *is* the warning.

It will interesting to see what comes out in the next few days.

[Bob41213]

18. I just heard this was leaked... I'm trying to find the video for it...

But it begs the question, when was this report supposed to come out?

Is this the report that was put on hold while the FBI finished its investigation?

I'll post the video when I find it...

[closeupready]

22. They missed it because they were paid well to miss it.

"What about her emails - this is very serious. ... (huh? Uh, okay, got it ...) who CARES about her damn EMAILS!"

[dchill]

23. Yes, they make tons more than reporters who tell the truth.

Ask Maddow, she's been both types.

[cali]

4. The arrogance is sickening.

[lumberjack_jeff]

39. It galls to be called "privileged" and "entitled" by these people. n/t

[dchill]

5. "Bigly."

Exactly, (I think.)

[AzDar]

12. Perfectly 'Cromulent' ...

[dchill]

24. I love to immerse myself in cromulence.

It's SO copacetic!

[CrowCityDem]

8. It says the same thing she admitted long ago.

[dchill]

15. All this, and much, much more!

[mindwalker_i]

19. Infinite rectal recursion

When it comes to Hillary's problems, and especially her criminal activity, this term applies to her enthalled followers.

[NightWatcher]

9. Drip drip drip, the flood's coming soon

[MaeScott]

11. Heating up faster than the Artic

[mmonk]

32. I'll have to remember that one.

[Fawke Em]

40. Actually, with climate change, this sentence is no longer sarcasm.

[hollysmom]

13. actually if she was trying to avoid the FOIA it is more serious than I suspected

I don't think it is prosecutable, but more predictive of future behavior.

and I say this as someone who realizes how many issues everyone has. I even have a tax issue, it involves storing my tax receipts in my jewelery box decades ago and having someone rob my apartment before I filed, so I filed without proper documentation (not as easy to replace all forms as one company went bankrupt and just too complicated). I think that is prosecutable, but I seriously doubt anyone ever will do it since I didn't owe money. And yes, I still do stupid things - so predictive of me.

[dchill]

17. You are forgiven your sins...

But you are not currently running for President, am I right?

[Babel_17]

21. "never to speak of the Secretary's personal email system again."

Wish denied.

[senz]

25. K&R for an important issue that must not be swept under the rug.

Keep it visible.

[The_Casual_Observer]

26. Wow this is series!!!!!111!!!

Teh election is over now!

[salinsky]

27. They had to get this out ahead of the FBI report which will be following directly ...

... and again, will be critical but find no culpability.

The indictment fairy is still not coming.

[Ichingcarpenter]

28. And you think that will be the end of it?

Gee......

I guess the republicans who hold the Senate and the House won't do any hearings then.......... great news.

[Segami]

30. Bank on it!

[Justice]

29. Clinton’s actions were not unlawful under either federal records preservation laws or criminal laws

[HooptieWagon]

35. That's not what the Inspector General Report says.

"At a minimum, Secretary Clinton should have surrendered all emails dealing with Department business before leaving government service and, because she did not do so, she did not comply with the Department's policies that were implemented in accordance with the Federal Records Act," it continues.

The Federal Records Act is law. Not following its set policies is in fact breaking the law. There is much for you to fear in the FBI report, which will be much more comprehensive than the OIG rrport.

[k8conant]

31. Who paid off the indictment fairy?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

33. The perception of wrongdoing is often as damaging is the reality of wrongdoing.

In this case, the perception of wrongdoing may be right but the damage is already done and continuing.

[Hoyt]

34. Digital equivalent of jaywalking. Sorry Sanders folks, this path forward is closed.

[SpareribSP]

37. I'm more worried about Trump.

It's going to be harder to accuse him of being dangerous and reckless when he can just shove this back in her face. This all is even before the deleted emails. These attacks will just get louder and worse with a Hillary nomination.

[B Calm]

36. Bad day for the Hillary campaign. She should drop out now so the Democratic party can save face!

[JEB]

38. She's too big to fail.