Spin Zone, Barbara Boxer calls the OIG Audit a 'such a nothingburger'

Hillary was the only SoS to refuse to help with the OIG audit

Every SoS from Madeleine Albright to John Kerry participated in this audit except for Hillary Clinton.

Very odd!

Flashback: The State Dept didn't have a permanent IG during her entire tenure as SoS

"Inspectors General uncover waste, fraud and mismanagement in federal agencies. The State Department didn’t have an official one while Hillary Clinton worked there.

One of the many unanswered questions of the Hillary Clinton e-mail story has been: Whose job was it to raise and address concerns about her exclusive use of a private account? According to open government advocates, it would have been the agency’s permanent, independent Inspector General—someone nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate—if such a person had existed.

For five years, including all of Clinton’s time as secretary, the State Department’s Office of Inspector General never had a confirmed inspector. Instead, it was lead by acting inspector Harold W. Geisel, a former ambassador who was accused of being too cozy to agency leadership by transparency groups like the Project on Government Oversight. Throughout the first half of President Obama’s first term, the absence of a State Department Inspector General while internal scandals and Benghazi rocked the department drew bipartisan criticism.

“For no one to raise concerns, it’s almost impossible to believe,” said Danielle Brian, the executive director for POGO.

“It seems like a really boring issue, but this is why it’s not,” Brian said. “These are people who … were in a position to have received tips or created a sense of there being accountability on these matters. But those vacancies scream essentially that there’s nobody whose really interested in making sure that someone is a junkyard dog in those agencies, looking for these kinds of problems.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-03-24/one-more-question-on-hillary-e-mails-where-was-the-watchdog-

Not having an IG would be critical to Hillary's off the books server.

Flashback: Hillary Clinton's State Department among worst agencies in cybersecurity, audits find

The State Department was among the worst agencies in the federal government at protecting its computer networks while Hillary Rodham Clinton was secretary from 2009 to 2013, a situation that continued to deteriorate as John Kerry took office and Russian hackers breached the department's email system, according to independent audits and interviews.

The State Department's compliance with federal cybersecurity standards was below average when Clinton took over but grew worse in each year of her tenure, according to an annual report card compiled by the White House based on audits by agency watchdogs. Network security continued to slip after Kerry replaced Clinton in February 2013, and remains substandard, according to the State Department inspector general.

In each year from 2011 to 2014, the State Department's poor cybersecurity was identified by the inspector general as a "significant deficiency" that put the department's information at risk. The latest assessment is due to be published in a few weeks.

Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, has been criticized for her use of a private email server for official business while she was secretary of state. Her private email address also was the recipient of malware linked to Russia, and her server was hit with malware from China, South Korea and Germany. The FBI is investigating whether her home server was breached.

State Department officials don't dispute the compliance shortcomings identified in years of internal audits, but argue that the audits paint a distorted picture of their cybersecurity, which they depict as solid and improving.

Two successive inspectors general haven't seen it that way. In December 2013, IG Steve Linick issued a "management alert" warning top State Department officials that their repeated failure to correct cybersecurity holes was putting the department's data at risk"

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/10/hillary_clintons_state_departm.html

I'd thought I would post this as I figure team Hillary will try and use the inadequacy the state Department's systems as an excuse for her actions. It should also be noted that Hillary had a sizable line item increase to her budget for cybersecurity that went unspent and directly lead to the future hack during Kerry's time as SoS.

State Dept. Audit Faults Hillary Clinton in Emails

Source: ABC

A State Department audit has faulted Hillary Clinton and previous secretaries of state for poorly managing email and other computer information and slowly responding to new cybersecurity risks.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the report by the agency's inspector general Wednesday.

It cites "longstanding, systemic weaknesses" related to communications. These started before Clinton's appointment as secretary of state, but her failures were singled out as more serious.

The review came after revelations Clinton exclusively used a private email account and server while in office. Clinton is now the likely Democratic presidential nominee.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/apnewsbreak-state-dept-audit-faults-clinton-emails-39365621

Hillary's summer of scandal

"A flurry of events set to unfold in the coming days and months could push back into the headlines the controversy over Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server during her time as secretary of state, providing plenty of fodder for Donald Trump and his "Crooked Hillary" attack line.

Republicans are hoping for — and in some cases plotting — a summer of scandal for Clinton that helps tarnish and distract her presidential campaign as she tries to build momentum for a fall showdown with the Manhattan billionaire.


A long-awaited State Department inspector general report on the impact of personal email use on recordkeeping at State is expected to be made public any day. And as many Americans prepare for the traditional Memorial Day kickoff to the summer season, longtime Clinton aide Cheryl Mills is scheduled to sit for a sworn deposition Friday in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by the conservative group Judicial Watch.

Mills’ testimony would be the first known time a member of Clinton’s inner circle has been questioned under oath in the email controversy. Another top Clinton aide, Huma Abedin, is set to testify next month. And Clinton herself is awaiting a judge's ruling on whether she should be required to give a deposition.

No matter how that comes out, Clinton also faces an ongoing FBI investigation into the email set up. Some of her aides have already been questioned. She's expressed a willingness to sit down with investigators — something they're expected to take her up on in the next few weeks. Unless it takes place in complete secrecy, such a session would be the highest-profile legal spectacle the former first lady has faced since she testified 20 years ago before a federal grand jury investigating the disappearance and reappearance of Whitewater billing records.
"I think the [Office of Inspector General] report is going to be of interest and the testimony is going to be out there," said Judicial Watch's Tom Fitton. "I think the courts will take action this summer....I don't see any of this going away."


Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/gop-sees-summer-of-scandal-for-clinton-223536#ixzz49fo3eYPN

TYT: Bernie Sanders Picks Progressives To Shape Democratic Platform

I just cast my second vote for Bernie this year!

Washington State has both a caucus and a non binding primary. I kinda like the caucus but just being able to drop a ballot off is pretty easy.

I'm curious what the vote totals will end up being.

Clinton campaign declines invitation to California debate

"WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton on Monday declined an invitation from Fox News to participate in a debate with rival Bernie Sanders in California before that state's June 7 primary.

Clinton and Sanders are competing aggressively in California as primaries wrap up.

But Clinton is close to getting the delegates she needs to seal the nomination. Sanders says he has a chance to pass her in pledged delegates, though he admits he faces tough odds. Then he would have to persuade many superdelegates to switch their support to him.

Campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri said Clinton will compete hard in the remaining primary states, particularly California, while also turning her attention to presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump.

"We believe that Hillary Clinton's time is best spent campaigning and meeting directly with voters across California and preparing for a general election campaign that will ensure the White House remains in Democratic hands," Palmieri said.

Clinton's decision was quickly criticized by Sanders.

"I am disappointed but not surprised by Secretary Clinton's unwillingness to debate before the largest and most important primary in the presidential nominating process," he said in a statement.

"Democracy, and respect for the voters of California, would suggest that there should be a vigorous debate in which the voters may determine whose ideas they support," he said. "I hope Secretary Clinton reconsiders her unfortunate decision to back away from her commitment to debate."

Bill Sammon, Fox News vice president and Washington managing editor, said the decision was unfortunate."


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_DEM_2016_CLINTON_DEBATE?SITE=MATAU&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Hillary will cave and a debate will happen.

SANDERS: DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION COULD BE 'MESSY'

"LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Bernie Sanders predicted Monday that the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia could be "messy" as he pushed the party to adopt his progressive agenda, but added: "Democracy is not always nice and quiet and gentle."

The Democratic presidential candidate said in an interview with The Associated Press that his supporters hoped to see a platform at the July convention that reflects the needs of working families, the poor and young people as opposed to one that represents Wall Street and corporate America.

The Vermont senator said he will "condemn any and all forms of violence" but his campaign was bringing in newcomers to the process and first-time attendees of political conventions. He said the Democratic party could choose to be more inclusive.

"I think if they make the right choice and open the doors to working class people and young people and create the kind of dynamism that the Democratic party needs, it's going to be messy," Sanders said. "Democracy is not always nice and quiet and gentle but that is where the Democratic party should go."

Asked if the convention could be messy, Sanders said, "So what! Democracy is messy. Everyday my life is messy. But if you want everything to be quiet and orderly and allow, you know, just things to proceed without vigorous debate, that is not what democracy is about."


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_DEM_2016_SANDERS_INTERVIEW?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-05-23-19-05-51