The decision by the FBI in the United States to release fifty-eight pages of notes from its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email history as secretary of state late on Friday, just before the Labour Day Weekend in the US, has caused almost as much controversy as the content of the report itself. As others have remarked the whole exercise bore a marked resemblance to the type of political news management which was the hallmark of Beltway Washington in the 1980s and ’90s. Someone somewhere was hoping that the story would be buried over the holiday weekend. Unfortunately for the Clinton machine burying news in the era of the internet is all but impossible. That they – or their sympathisers – thought otherwise illustrates how deeply inculcated they still are in the political culture of late 20th century America.
You can read the detail of the memo elsewhere but these facts bear noting:
- There were essentially no encryption safeguards on the private email server the Clintons set up in the basement of their home.
- The private server had to be shut down repeatedly because of attacks by one or more hackers.
- The private server was successfully hacked at least once, giving access to the emails of an associate of Bill Clinton.
- Hackers, almost certainly non-American and possibly state-related, were able to break into the personal email accounts of Hillary Clinton’s aides, obtaining hundreds of emails.
- Hillary Clinton received “phishing” emails to her private email account, one of which she replied to.
- Hillary Clinton’s emails were eventually transferred to a server run by a private contractor. However that too was subject to multiple hacking attempts.
- Two BlackBerry phones used by Hillary Clinton while serving in government were destroyed with a hammer by an aide after the existence of the private server leaked out.
- Eleven BlackBerry phones used by Hillary Clinton while serving in government are missing, despite FBI attempts to trace them.
- Three iPads used by Hillary Clinton while serving in government are missing, despite FBI attempts to trace them.
- One laptop used by Hillary Clinton while serving in government is missing, despite FBI attempts to trace it.
- One USB thumb drive used by Hillary Clinton while serving in government is missing, despite FBI attempts to trace it.
- During questioning of Hillary Clinton by the FBI key witnesses, colleagues of the former secretary of state, were allowed to sit in on the interview.
- Hillary Clinton expressed confusion over classification abbreviations used in secure documents.
- A computer expert deleted the entire personal email archive of Hillary Clinton after details of the private server became public.
Hillary Clinton may not be corrupt in any explicit or straightforward sense but there is something deeply suspect about her and those who associate with her. With Donald J. Trump displaying renewed popularity in some polls, when the odious buffoon should be an electoral pariah, how many registered Democrats must be regretting their decision not to support Bernie Sanders when they had the chance?
AN SIONNACH FIONN 
Everything about Hillary smells. She is a horrible person. And there is only 2 things that might prevent her from reaching her lifelong dream of being president. Julian Assange and her failing health.
LikeLike
I don’t think she is horrible person, as such, but definitely more than a bit iffy. She, her family and their associates are true believers in the right of elites to have a little extra cream off the top if they are generally doing the right thing by everyone else (or what they perceive as the right thing). A type of “royal prerogative” for the do-goodie rich.
That said her hawkishness, real or adopted, is very off-putting.
LikeLike
You just described why she is a horrible person☺
LikeLike
The go-to politician for corporate America. Her allegiance lies elsewhere than with her constituents. That in itself should have been enough to dissuade Democrat voters from supporting her.
LikeLike
Possibly true.
LikeLike
trump is being sued for rape , rightnow, and the media focus on this bogus e mail scandal. the clinton’s are right wingamerican corporate capitalists, and vile as all american corporate right wing capitalists, as opposed to the even more vile republican delusional christian right wing capitalists, but crooks? compared to trumps history of law suits, stiffing payments and running fraud schemes like his university? it’s a joke.
bot how did the democratic party get hijacked by these hacks? but then how did america get hijacked by these hacks? (bush included) sanders is not very left, but at least he is responsive to people out side the corporate elite. the democrats have only themselves to blame if trump wins.
LikeLike
Sanders would certainly be preferential to any of the others. Even Jill Stein of the Greens has her flaws.
LikeLike
As for Bernie Sanders,even if he won the nomination fairly the Democrat party would be trying to unseat him. He would find himself in the same position as Jeremy Corbyn.
LikeLike
If you compare the Hillary Clinton of today with that of 40 years ago, it’s stunning the degree to which she’s shifted her allegiance to corporate American.
LikeLike
Clinton started as a republican. She just follows the money and any chance at power, and both were easier to achieve with the Democrats. She is a complete scum-sucking bottom feeder and is as crooked as they come. The Clintons have had so many financial scandals and have been caught in so many lies, it is unfathomable for her to hold any political office, and especially that of president of any country. Equally repugnant is that piece of shyte on the other side. That country is in a downward spiral, smoke and flames coming from every orifice, they better start bracing for the inevitable impact. I compare it to the “roaring 20’s” after which they had to eat dirt for a while before they rose up again. It’s always bad when people start to believe their own lies and reject reality, substituting it with misguided fantasy. Sanders already abandoned the Democratic party and returned to his old job as an independent. I do not know why he doesn’t just run. He would beat them both.
LikeLike
Hi Séamas,
Bernie Sanders will be visiting Ireland in June for the Dalkey Book Festival in Dublin!!!!! I think his speech will be on June 4? If you are in the area you should definitely put it on your calendar – could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Tickets are going on sale this Friday at 15 euros.
(Sorry, didn’t know where else to put this comment.)
LikeLike