Is the FBI Hillary Email Server Inquiry Heating Up?

Politico reported Tuesday that although Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is trying to put questions about her private email server behind her, the FBI has stepped up inquiries into the security of the former Secretary of State's server, as well as email communication between aides. Tom Fuentes, former assistant director of the FBI, noted : "This sounds to me like it's more than a preliminary inquiry; it sounds like a full-blown investigation. When you have this amount of resources going into it …. I think it's at the investigative level." ~~~~~ The FBI declines to comment on their examination, but Politico reports that the agency has interviewed minor individuals who corresponded with Clinton, in an attempt to determine the security of the server. Former FBI and Justice officials say the agency is tasked with trying to prove two things : whether the use of an outside email system posed risks to national security secrets and if so, was anyone responsible for exposing classified information. A former State Department official interviewed by the FBI had little to do with the Clinton server, suggesting the FBI’s inquiry has expanded from server security to content of emails between State staff. Clinton's campaign and lawyers have turned over Clinton's server and a thumb drive backup of her messages to the FBI, and they are encouraging anyone who has been affiliated with the server issue to do the same. ~~~~~ The FBI is not required to announce if they change a preliminary inquiry into a full-fledged investigation. The secrecy surrounding the FBI's Clinton 'review' makes it impossible to know where the FBI stands on the issue. Ron Hosko, former assistant director of the FBI's Criminal Investigation Division, told Politico the Department of Justice is probably worried about issuing formal legal notices "because they know it will get out, and then you're talking about a grand jury investigation." However, Hosko added that it is "not uncommon" for companies to require subpoenas, court orders or other legal notices before cooperating in order to protect their corporate reputation and liability. Hosko added, "I am sure there is hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth across the street at the Hoover Building [FBI] because you're going to have people saying ‘I don't want to produce X documents. Give me a piece of paper that covers me.' And that's where push is going to come to shove." ~~~~~ Last Friday, Representative Mike Pompeo, a member of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, told Newsmax the Committee has evidence that Hillary Clinton understood it was her duty to protect classified information and even signed documents as Secretary of State pledging not to release sensitive government data : "We knew that she was required to have signed such a document. Every one of us who handles classified information has an obligation to safeguard it. We make a personal commitment, we make a commitment to the Constitution and good old-fashioned common sense tells you that you can't mishandle information." But, Pompeo added : "We now see that not only would she have known that, but she read a document that she signed indicating that even just mishandling, not intention, but negligence, is sufficient to suffer criminal penalties." Pompeo added : "My view would have been that she had an obligation to safeguard it whether she signed the darn thing or not. But it is absolutely the case, it's evidentiary matter [that can be used] to prove something in a court of law, we now have a signature and a commitment [on a document] that is legal and binding." ~~~~~ Dear readers, Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as Secretary of State was a decision that possibly resulted in sensitive government information being leaked. The FBI is investigating whether any laws were violated by her use of the private server. Mrs. Clinton has so far managed to convince Democrats and donors that the server issue is trivial and not a bar to her fitness to be President. The FBI investigation may prove that donors, Democrats and Clinton are wrong.