The Guardian: Why the Hillary Clinton email revelations are a significant problem

[RiverLover]

Why the Hillary Clinton email revelations are a significant problem
3/3/15

The former secretary of state and likely 2016 candidate’s supporters have rallied to her defense, but the revelations leave Clinton vulnerable to serious criticism



Within hours of the news that Hillary Clinton had used her personal email account to conduct government business while serving as US secretary of state, her extensive network of supporters launched a damage-limitation exercise.

“Correct the Record”, a rapid rebuttal unit set up by the Super Pac American Bridge to protect Clinton and other prominent Democratic candidates from rightwing attacks in the 2016 election cycle, put out a statement that sought to dilute the revelation. Clinton had voluntarily handed over 55,000 pages of her emails, the statement said, and had “followed State Department precedent with regard to the use of email”.

But the impact of the revelation may prove harder to rebut than that. It leaves Clinton vulnerable to at least three lines of criticism: that she potentially broke fundamental rules governing the handling and security of state secrets; that she skirted around guidelines put in place to ensure historical accountability and transparency within high public office; and the political attack that she must have had something to hide.

Potentially breaching rules relating to state secrets

Perhaps the most serious accusation facing Clinton is that she may have breached one of the fundamental tenets of classified information. J William Leonard, former director of the body that keeps watch over executive branch secrets, the Information Security Oversight Office, told the Guardian that if Clinton had dealt with confidential government matters through her personal email, that would have been problematic. “There is no such thing as personal copies of classified information. All classified information belongs to the US government and it should never leave the control of the government.”

There are also questions around the security of Clinton’s private email at a time of heightened concern about cyber-attacks...

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/03/hillary-clinton-email-revelations-why-it-matters

[RiverLover]

2. LOL!!

We got to see them in action, on the front line.

[spanone]

23. yes, and her detractors are the usual rabid network

[tularetom]

4. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee needs a "rapid rebuttal unit"?

I don't think this is really a good omen.

[wyldwolf]

5. Every presidential candidate since (at least) Bill Clinton had one.

Not that I would expect that fact to get in the way of a debunked Clinton "scandal" in it's death throes.

[Rex]

9. Yeah all potential leaders have their minions and suck ups.

You didn't know? Easy money for people with no morals.

[Jim Lane]

24. As someone strongly opposed to her being our nominee, I see nothing wrong with this.

The fact is that, in today's media world, half-truths, honest garblings, and outright lies can spread quickly and widely. It makes sense for any candidate (indeed, any prominent politician) to be prepared to jump on them quickly.

You seem to imply that no one would need a rapid rebuttal unit unless there were some serious and valid criticisms to be rebutted. I disagree. In Hillary's case there are valid criticisms, but even for a perfect candidate, one could anticipate that some junk will be thrown.

This doesn't show that Hillary is a bad person or a bad candidate. It shows that our political culture has deteriorated more than a little in recent years.

[marym625]

6. so what if she used personal email

I mean, she was just the Secretary of State. No one ever hacks email accounts.

In truth, I don't know how bad or insignificant this is. I do know that I want to know. I know this came out in part a while ago.

To dismiss the allegations because we knew about it before, some of it, is ridiculous. The fact not all the emails were turned over is troubling.

The fact that we're told we should just ignore it, that we're being accused of so many awful things from people who are supposed to be fellow Democrats, that we have no right to voice concern, especially about someone that is a warmonger (we're not allowed to say that) and is bed with the banks (we're not allowed to say that) that is using the man that authored the End Game Memo (not allowed to say that because it's just a "conspiracy theory&quot who threatened Elizabeth Warren ( oh Elizabeth exaggerates) is just disgusting

[RiverLover]

7. Great post.

Truth!!

[marym625]

10. Thank you

Truly sick of it

[marym625]

11. evidently, we have no right or reason to question

Fuck this shit.

[pnwmom]

18. Where is your evidence that she included classified information in any personal email? n/t

[Renew Deal]

12. Let me help edit the article.

It leaves Clinton vulnerable to at least three lines of criticism: that she potentially broke fundamental rules governing the handling and security of state secrets; that she skirted around guidelines put in place to ensure historical accountability and transparency within high public office; and the political attack that she must have had something to hide.

[Renew Deal]

14. You're welcome

[RiverLover]

15. Head.Meet.Sand

[Renew Deal]

17. Indeed

It leaves Clinton vulnerable to at least three lines of criticism: that she potentially broke fundamental rules governing the handling and security of state secrets;

The State Department said no classified email was sent or received on the email account.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/things-clintons-state-department-emails-29368624

that she skirted around guidelines put in place to ensure historical accountability and transparency within high public office;

While NARA’s preference is that officials not use an email alias, Archivist of the United States David Ferriero said in sworn testimony in 2013 that “nothing in the law that prohibits them.”

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=6308341

and the political attack that she must have had something to hide.

A total of 55,000 pages of material covering the time she was in office were turned over, the agency said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/03/us-usa-politics-clinton-email-idUSKBN0LZ06G20150303

Better luck next scandal.

[pnwmom]

16. Except that it is pure SPECULATION, which she denies, that the emails contained classified

information.

Hillary is ALWAYS and EVERYWHERE vulnerable to criticism; that's been her life forever. But there is huge leap from "potentially" to "actually" breaching rules. And no one has provided any evidence, much less proof, of the latter.

[dissentient]

19. The Guardian is one of the most well respected left leaning newspapers out there

I can't believe some are trying to label a N.Y. Times story as being from the right wing.

Next, they will say The Guardian is a right wing newspaper.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

21. Fo real. This place had become Bizzaro World; don't recognize it anymore.

[DonCoquixote]

22. I honestly do nto think this is a big deal

and I am no fan of Hillary. But while this was STUPID, it is not the end of the world.