Comey / FBI Say No Email Charges against Hillary...???

FBI Director James Comey, despite his timidity, shed light Tuesday on Hillary Clinton’s private email setup, while saying the FBI would not recommend charges against her. Here are the new details : (1). 113 emails in over 50 chains were classified at the time they were sent or received by her private home server. Eight of the chains contained top secret information, the highest classification. Three of the classified emails were discovered among the thousands Hillary claimed were purely personal and deleted before she gave her servers to the FBI. A “very small number” of emails “bore markings indicating the presence of classified information,” Comey said. *This is proof that both Clinton’s campaign team and the State Department lied when they insisted none of the 2,000 emails now considered classified was deemed sensitive at the time. (2). Thousands of work emails were deleted, disproving Clinton's statement that the decision to delete half her server’s 60,000 emails was to keep her private life from becoming public : “I chose not to keep my private personal emails -- emails about planning Chelsea's wedding or my mother's funeral arrangements, condolence notes to friends as well as yoga routines, family vacations,” she said in a March 2015 press conference. *Another lie. FBI investigators uncovered “several thousand work-related emails that were not [among] the 30,000 that were returned by Secretary Clinton” to the State Department, Comey said. The FBI found “traces” of those emails on machines connected to the private clintonemail.com domain, as well as “fragments” from decommissioned servers and email accounts of people who communicated with her. (3). None of the work-related emails was intentionally deleted from Clinton’s server to evade federal laws, Comey said : “We found no evidence that any of the additional work-related e-mails were intentionally deleted in an effort to conceal them. Our assessment is that, like many e-mail users, Secretary Clinton periodically deleted e-mails or e-mails were purged from the system when devices were changed.” Government systems and commercial services such as Yahoo or Gmail routinely archive old emails, but Clinton’s private setup did not archive, Comey said, adding : “It is also likely that there are other work-related emails that they did not produce to State and that we did not find elsewhere." Those emails are “now gone because they deleted all e-mails they did not return to State, and the lawyers cleaned their devices in such a way as to preclude complete forensic recovery." *Her lawyers did this after Hillary agreed with the FBI to "produce" all her emails. How can the destruction of evidence by a possible target or her lawyers in an FBI investigation be swept aside? There is no reasonable answer. **And why did Clinton’s lawyers use a search tool, not going through the emails one by one, as FBI officials did. Comey said Hillary's lawyers may have accidentally overlooked some emails that should have been sent to the government -- were they setting up Hillary's cover position that nothing was intentionally deleted, that it was merely a search took error? (4). Clinton used more than one server and multiple mobile devices. Comey stated : “Secretary Clinton used several different servers and administrators of those servers during her four years at the State Department, and used numerous mobile devices to view and send e-mail on that personal domain.” *Hillary's public explanations are that she used a single server throughout her tenure at the State Department, and it was given to the FBI last year. In fact, Clinton changed servers, leaving a trail of out-of-order servers behind her. (5). “It is possible that hostile actors gained access to Secretary Clinton’s personal email account,” Comey said. The FBI did not find evidence of hacking, but Comey said that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Hackers targeted people she communicated with, such as longtime confidant Sidney Blumenthal, and her arrangement was well-known and “readily apparent." ~~~~~ Dear readers, no charges? Tomorrow.

Hillary's Secret Unrecorded Meetings while Secretary of State

We know that Hillary Clinton arranged a secret email server scheme to hide her communications and operatives from the public while she was serving in a position of great public trust. And, we now also know that Hillary held dozens of secret meetings with Clinton Foundation contributors, and corporate and other interests, while she was Secretary of State -- meetings left off her official schedule, or altered afterward, likely illegally, according to a new Associated Press report. The State Department recently refused to defend Clinton, when at a daily press briefing, Department spokesman John Kirby said : "I am not in a position -- nor should I be expected to -- to speak of the scheduling habits of a previous Secretary of State. I’m not able to do that.” But, Kirby added that Secretary Kerry's calendars "are being properly preserved and maintained, and that includes who he’s meeting with.” ~~~~~ Documents obtained by the AP in a lawsuit against the Obama administration showed at least 75 meetings with longtime political backers, the Clinton Foundation or other interests that were either not included on her official calendar or whose names were not disclosed. At least 114 non-governmental officials attended these Clinton meetings and meals. AP found the secret meetings by "comparing a 1,500-page official calendar with separate planners kept by Clinton’s aides each day," after a federal court ordered State to turn them over. Only seven meetings in Clinton aide planners were replaced by substitute events on her official calendar, while over 60 events listed in Clinton aide planners were omitted entirely in her official calendar, or briefly noted or described as “private meetings” -- all without names. ~~~~~ But, thanks to the AP, we now know many of those who attended Secretary Hillary's secret meetings. For example, her State Department calendar did not name major Wall Street and business leaders who attended a private breakfast with her at the New York Stock Exchange in September 2009. But, Clinton aide planners from that day listed the names of all her guests -- CEOs of firms that lobbied the government and donated to the Clinton Foundation. The event was closed to the press and got just a brief mention in her calendar, without names. Attendees included the CEOs of PepsiCo, New York Bank of Mellon, Estee Lauder Companies Inc., Starbucks Corp., Dupont, Honeywell International Inc. and Onnicom Group, as well as the Chairmen of Blackstone Group, McGraw Hill Companies, Coach Inc., and American Tower Corp., and the Loews Corp. President. Four of these companies later donated to Clinton’s then-pet project, the US pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai Expo. AP reports that every firm except Coach lobbied the government in 2009. Blackstone, Honeywell, Omnicom and DuPont lobbied the State Department that year. Two of them personally donated to the Clinton Foundation. All the other firms -- except American Tower and New York Bank of Mellon -- also contributed to the Clinton Foundation. ~~~~~ Clinton’s calendar also repeatedly omitted dinners and meetings with political donors, policy meetings with corporate leaders, and visits by Clinton campaign operatives, such as longtime advisor Sidney Blumenthal, consultant and former Clinton White House chief of staff Thomas “Mack” McLarty, former energy lobbyist Joseph Wilson and entertainment magnate and Clinton campaign bundler Haim Saban. ~~~~~ Dear readers, this is the latest example of Hillary's stubborn refusal to separate public service, political interests and the Clinton Foundation. Her team fell back on her usual excuse -- prior Secretaries did the same thing. But, former State officials say omitted meetings of prior Secretaries typically were for medical or other personal reasons, not illegal secret fundraising. Hillary has no sense of 'public trust' or 'honest dealing.' And, as we brace for a whitewash by the FBI and DOJ of her illegal email scheme, we may now be sure that Secretary Hillary was in the pockets of big business -- what did she promise??? Nobody knows...except possibly Bill.

Happy Independence Day, America - Don't Forget "We, the People"

Today, we Americans celebrate our independence. But, I suspect there is subdued joy in our towns and cities and countryside as we raise Old Glory to commemorate a unique event in all of human history. ~~~~~ On July 4, 1776, Thomas Jefferson gave us a great and holy charge : "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the consent of the governed, - That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." ~~~~~ From those immortal words was born America, founded on the earth-shaking idea that "We, the People" are our own government. But, I dare any American to say on July 4, 2016, that he or she feels possessed of personal liberty or individual freedom. Through our excessive trust in our recent leaders, through our admirable desire to be fair and openminded, and, yes, through our laziness in not participating in our political system, we have lost both our liberty and our freedom. We have allowed a government that despises our Constitution to regulate and tax us into political and economic slavery. We have allowed those who would scrap our Constitution for leftist-socialist tenets to prevail over us. They call themselves Progressives because that makes it sound as if they are doing good things for America. They are not. We have allowed our Republic to be hijacked by those who rule because they are in part elected by non-citizens they illegally register to vote and by citizens who have sold their constitutional right to liberty for thirty pieces of entitlement silver. ~~~~~ From Jefferson's "unalienable Rights" to Washington's "Let us therefore rely upon the goodness of the Cause, and the aid of the supreme Being," to Lincoln's "whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure" to JFK's "watchmen on the walls of world freedom" to Reagan's "shining city on the hill" -- we have always been warned that our Republic is unique and "mankind's last, best hope," but that it is fragile and requires constant care and recommitment. Somehow we as citizens have forgotten both care and commitment. ~~~~~ So, dear readers, have a happy, patriotic and safe Independence Day. Happy -- if you can forget the Obama White House that hides its acts from you and Congress while lying about its intentions and blaming every conservative and Republican for its own failures. Patriotic -- if you can forget that President Obama and Hillary Clinton firmly believe that it is America's role to sidle up to the islamic jihadist ayatollahs who rule over Iran by force while spreading terror widely in the Middle East and that it is right for America to stand beside the butchery of the marxist Castro regime in Cuba. Safe -- if you can forget that Obama is trying to eliminate your right to bear arms, that he has fired over 200 generals and line officers who disagree with his complacence in the face of ISIS, and if you believe that the 11 million illegals in the US pose absolutely no physical, economic or political threat to you, your families, your communities or your Republic. So, for today -- Happy Fourth of July. For tomorrow -- get up and fight for America before she is destroyed. We must not be the generation of Americans who lost America forever. She is not only a nation, she is, above all, an idea -- the idea that men and women of character, who are educated and responsible citizens, can and should be the inheritors and guardians of "We, the People."

Benghazi -- Like the Alamo, Pearl Harbor and 9/11 -- Will Live in the Hearts of Americans Forever

Saturday Politics this week is about the Supplement to the House Select Committee on Benghazi final report. In the bluntly critical Supplement, Representatives Jim Jordan and Mike Pompeo, Committee Republicans, present conclusions to explain what they see as the motivations behind the inactions and misdirections by the Obama administration. Here are the Supplement's conclusions. ~~~~~ (1). The First Victim of War is Truth : The Obama administration misled the public about events in Benghazi. State Department officials, including Secretary Clinton, learned almost in real time the Benghazi attack was terrorist. With the presidential election 56 days away, rather than tell the American people the truth and increase the risk of losing an election, the administration told one story privately and a different story publicly. They publicly blamed the deaths on a video-inspired protest that they knew had never occurred. (2). Last Clear Chance : Benghazi security was grossly inadequate and Secretary Clinton failed to lead in correcting it. After Qaddafi, the US knew it couldn't count on host nation security in Libya, where militias held great power. The American people expect that when their government sends representatives into such dangerous places, they will receive adequate protection. Secretary Clinton paid special attention to Libya. She sent Ambassador Stevens there. Yet, in August 2012, she did not take the last, clear chance to protect her own State Department people in Libya. (3). Failure of Will : America did not move heaven and earth to rescue her citizens. The American people expect their government to make every effort to help those it puts in harm’s way when trouble occurs. The US military never sent assets to rescue the Americans fighting in Benghazi and never got military personnel into Libya during the attack. Contrary to Obama administration claims that it could not have landed in Benghazi in time to help, the administration never directed men or machines into Benghazi. (4). Justice Denied : The Obama administration broke its promise to bring the terrorists to justice. After the attacks, President Obama promised “justice will be done.” There is no doubt America could keep that commitment. But, four years later, only one terrorist has been captured and brought to the US to face criminal charges, and he will not receive the full measure of justice because the Obama administration chose not to seek the death penalty. The American people are owed an explanation, but President Obama has offered nothing. (5). Unanswered Questions : The Obama administration did not cooperate with the investigation by the Gowdy committee. Despite White House claims, Jordan and Pompeo saw no evidence the administration had a sincere interest in helping the committee : "There is a time for politics and a time to set politics aside. A national tragedy is one of those times when as a nation we should join together to find the truth. That did not happen here. So while the investigation uncovered new information, we nonetheless end the Committee’s investigation without many of the facts, especially those involving the President and the White House, we were chartered to obtain." ~~~~~ Dear readers, here is the final paragraph of the Supplement : "In the end, the administration’s efforts to impede the investigation succeeded, but only in part. The minority members’ and their staff’s efforts to impede the investigation succeeded also, but again only in part. And although we answered many questions, we could not do so completely. What we did find was a tragic failure of leadership—in the run up to the attack and the night of—and an administration that, so blinded by politics and its desire to win an election, disregarded a basic duty of government: Tell the people the truth. And for those reasons Benghazi is, and always will be, an American tragedy." It is an Obama indictment. Stevens, Woods, Smith, Doherty. Their deaths are the tragedy -- the reason Benghazi, like the Alamo, Pearl Harbor and 9/11 -- will live in the hearts of Americans forever.