"The 12 juiciest bits from the FBI's Clinton report" Nick Gass

 "On at least two occasions when Hillary Clinton changed electronic devices as secretary of state, the outgoing mobile devices met a violent end on the other side of a hammer or got broken in half.

At other moments, two of Clinton’s top aides recalled that the retiring devices’ whereabouts would often be a mystery.

And elsewhere in the FBI's report of its investigation and its interview with Clinton that was released publicly Friday, Clinton demonstrated a willingness to defer to others on matters of classified material, claiming on multiple occasions that she could neither recall receiving training or, in one particular instance, responding that she did not know that “(C)” markings in an email chain denoted confidential material.

From the drones to hammers to Colin Powell, here are 12 of the most remarkable sections from the FBI’s notes related to its investigation and from its July 2 interview with Clinton at its Washington headquarters."  Nick Gass

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In light of this information it seems odd that Comey did not recommend indictment on either the  Government Records Act or on a charge of mishandling classified information.  pl

 

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/best-of-clinton-fbi-report-227692

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"A laptop containing a copy, or “archive,” of the emails on Hillary Clinton’s private server was apparently lost—in the postal mail—according to an FBI report released Friday. Along with it, a thumb drive that also contained an archive of Clinton’s emails has been lost and is not in the FBI’s possession."  Daily Beast

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The State Department is not a notably efficient or well administered part of the government.  It tends to employ people who think they are "entitled"  and above the rules, but the behavior of Clinton's personal team reeks of the '60s and 70s.  It makes me think of a group of teenagers (of various ages) playing the role of responsible government officials.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/09/02/hillary-clinton-s-team-lost-a-laptop-full-of-her-emails-in-the-actual-mail.html

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When I was a major I was for a few years in charge of security indoctrination and training for US military personnel  who had access to seriously secret material as well as the inevitable investigation of violations at 5th US Army Corps headquarters at Frankfurt am Main and then at Allied Land Forces South East Europe at Izmir, Turkey.  This was a NATO command with a large US presence in the headquarters.  Then, later in life I was "indoctrinated" (trained and briefed) many times when it was decided that I should receive access to various categories and compartments of secret information.  So, I know a bit about the way the US governments in its various parts safeguards secret information. 

In basic terms a senior recipient is trained individually and privately by a Special Security Officer whose full time job is to make sure that people who receive such information understand fully the law and regulations with regard to handling such information.  Following the training the recipient signs agreements with the government to follow the rules and accept the law.  The Secretary of State would have a VAST  access to a wide and deep number of "compartments" of information each containing some particular program or type of information of great sensitivity.  for Clinton to claim as she did to the FBI that she was never trained to handle classified information and did not know the rules is simply absurd.  pl

Comments

[morgan]

I think he was ordered by higher ups--Attorney General, White House?--not to recommend indictment.

[Bobo]

An adult was nominated to the high post of Secretary of State by the President of the United States and by all accounts that adult did not act in a responsible manner in how the adult received or disseminated classified information. The words "Extremely Careless" have been uttered but in actuality those words are mild in describing the actions of the adult in question.
Today, that same adult is seeking the post of President of the United States. Is this adult asking the people of this country to judge the potential future actions of the adult or the actions that were mildly determined extremely careless when they enter the voting booth. Shall be interesting.

[John Minnerath]

Can it bring her down?
I think if it weren't for the brouhaha over Trump it would.

[LeaNder]

Maybe it paid off to study law? At least so far?

Let me pick one item on the "12 juiciest bits"

Ever tried to understand "phishing or spear-phishing emails". Would returning a pretty obvious one coupled with a known sender be harmful? If you do not open whatever file is attached or follow a link? ... been watching increasing perfection ... porno does not seem to belong into whatever profile though, in my case.

But this is no doubt interesting:
"A laptop containing a copy, or “archive,” of the emails on Hillary Clinton’s private server was apparently lost..."

cliffhanger, stay tuned.

[Allen Thomson]

FWIW, during many, probably most, previous administrations, the Secretaries of State, Defense and the National Security Advisor were on distribution for the President's Daily Brief. I wouldn't think it would be different under Obama, so, unless Secretary Clinton said, "Thanks, but I can't be bothered", she would have had daily contact with information classified up through at least TS/SI/TK/G. One would think she'd have picked up at least the rudiments of how to handle classified material.

[Old Microbiologist]

As I said before there is plenty of time to still prosecute so in one sense she is running for her life. Should Trump win, I foresee her entire family and all her aides departing the US in the wee hours to some gulf nation where they cannot be extradited from.

[turcopolier]

Allen Thompson

FWIW as you know many HUMINT compartments are designed to protect a singleton source. The reason this is done is that the information points in a back azimuth to the source. She would have had that kind of access. pl

[Fred]

Col.,

"... known [redacted] associate ...” ....." open source information indicated, if opened, the targeted user’s device may have been infected, and information would have been sent to at least three computers overseas, including one in Russia.”

What other two countries might those computers be located? Isn't is obvious that Russia might be a distraction and other foreign powers might be involved - or perhaps no national government at all?

"According to Abedin and Hanley, Clinton’s old devices would often disappear to parts “unknown"...." I'm sure they are not in a shoebox in closet at some minor staffers house though they might once have been. Is every one of Hilary's staff and friends involved getting a pardon? There are enough criminal offenses here to fill a prison. It sure explains why former Democratic Congressman Weiner would send out a damning photo so as to create a distraction from the release of this material. Now the MSM can focus on his conduct rather than the criminal conduct of his wife and her employer, Hilary.

[Fred]

LeaNder,

Not a cliffhanger but criminal conduct. Indicts should be getting issued now.

[Jack]

Sir

Comey's recommendation to not indict the Borg Queen was a political decision. Anyone not as influential in the highest echelons would have been thrown the book. Petraeus skated with a slap on the wrist. In our imperial city some animals. ...

The MSM are making it sound like none of this is a big deal and there's nothing more to the story. But here's the front runner to the presidency who claims she has such poor memory and can't recall content from important briefings. So after she orders a nuclear strike is she going to claim that she can't remember actually doing that?

It is really amazing that the majority of the voters according to the MSM polls are gonna elect a person with such poor mental faculties and a proven track record of bad judgment, all because they hate the other guy. Seems like cutting your nose to spite your face.

[Tyler]

Where is Hillary anyway?

The Left's Wurlitzer is in full blown freak out as Trump hits his stride going into Labor Day. I think the minions of the globalists are realizing Trump is going to put this thing to bed and all they have is hysterical rhetoric about a dead Austrian artist.

[Allen Thomson]

Col:

> The reason this is done is that the information points in a back azimuth to the source.

True. Happens not infrequently with COMINT too for the same reason and occasionally other INTs.

[Jack]

Tyler

The optics of Trump's visit with the Mexican president showed him on a presidential stage. IMO, he did very well and created some cognitive dissonance in the minds of those who like his message but believe they should dislike the man as that's what everyone "important" is saying. His Phoenix speech consequently got a lot of attention. What people saw was a massive and enthusiastic crowd. And some who heard his speech without the media filter, noticed that he was talking about benefiting all legal Americans and upholding the law. They noticed that he wasn't being racist. In fact he was being emphatic that citizens who are mminorities are being disproportionately harmed by the unenforcement of the law.

The media will have to double down to make the scary paint stick! The shape of this election will come into better focus prior to the first debate at the end of this month. The Borg Queen spent the week raising big bucks - reportedly over $150 million. She's blanketing the swing states but there may be a point that many switch off her ad and media campaign. It's gonna get interesting in the next few weeks.

[Edward Amame]

Interesting. Regarding her Blackberry, Clinton talked with Powell right after becoming SoS and Powell told her, "Be very careful. I got around it all by not saying much and not using systems that captured the data." Clinton followed the rules and kept the data.

Also. State *recommended* to employees that they should not use personal email accounts but there was no *rule* that prohibited it. As you say, "the State Department is not a notably efficient or well administered part of the government. It tends to employ people who think they are "entitled..." I guess you're right. Apparently personal email accounts were widely used there.

Regarding classification. She emailed with a very small group of staff, apparently 15 people. Clinton assumed that her staff knew what they were doing.

Most people here will agree with Col Lang that what's in this report is enough to suggest Clinton broke the law and should not allowed to become president. I get it. However, I don't agree with that it. I'll be accused of partisanship or whatever and I don't care. There's just not much of anything here, maybe just a little more than your typical ginned-up Judicial Watch-initiated "Clinton Scandal." And in typical fashion, orgs like the NY Times and Politico have lapped it up. Scandal sells pixels, esp so-called Clinton Scandals.

At least it's finally all out now. Of course, Judicial Watch still has plenty of time between now and Nov to present us with something new. It's what they do.

[Edward Amame]

Tyler

Where's HRC? Raising $$ and prepping for the debates. It's what you do, you stay outta the way, when the other guy's epic-ly effing up practically non-stop.

From what I've been reading, Trump's not prepping for the debates, he's gonna wing it, primary-style. How smart that is remains to be seen.

[turcopolier]

Edward Amame
"I get it. However, I don't agree with that..." It seems that like her you are a scofflaw who thinks that superior people are free to expose government secrets however important to easy penetration by just about anyone in the world. pl

[turcopolier]

Allen Thompson

Yes, I have worked in all the INTs except MASINT. I chose HUMINT as an example. pl

[The Twisted Genius]

Edward Amame,

What I find way more damning than Clinton's and the entire State Departments widespread use of unclassified systems to conduct business and carelessness with classified information is the coverup surrounding the whole affair. Clinton and her surrogates sought to destroy evidence after it was clear that there will be a Federal investigation. That's the crime I think she should be indicted for.

Then there should be an investigation about the way the DOS and most other agencies outside the intelligence agencies conduct their business, as well as our whole classification system. Why is it misused by some and ignored by others?

[Edward Amame]

Col Lang

We are apparently in an uproar over one CONFIDENTIAL email (of the three with paragraphs marked "C") since State determined that the other two e-mail chains are currently UNCLASSIFIED.

You might want to check this out:

"The shocking truth about the last two Republican secretaries of state has finally come out: Colin Powell and aides to Condoleezza Rice trafficked in classified information on their personal email accounts. This is an enormous scandal!"

Oh, wait. No, it’s not..."

http://www.newsweek.com/2016/02/19/colin-powell-emails-hillary-clinton-424187.html

[turcopolier]

EA

No, we are not talking about the triviality of a couple of cut and pasted Confidential paragraphs. That is a red herring that you and all the other HC apologists and loyalists are using to try to obscure the SAPped TS material that Comey stated is present in many of her other e-mails and that only an idiot or incompetent would not have recognized as inherently classified at a very high level. you are justifying a sustained four year disregard for the right of the American people to have their secrets protected. pl

[Edward Amame]

TTG

Coverup?

Clinton's Chief of Staff had an attorney separate work-related emails from her personal emails after State asked for them. Clinton had no part in deciding which emails were personal before they got handed over to the State Dept. Neither Clinton or staffers had a thing to do with erasing info on the PRN server. That was PRN's eff up.

The classification system seems like a confused mess to me too, but I'm no expert.

I'm gonna recommend this (The Shocking Truth: Colin Powell’s Emails Don’t Matter) to you too: http://www.newsweek.com/2016/02/19/colin-powell-emails-hillary-clinton-424187.html

[different clue]

I can imagine that the whole time FBI Director Comey was delivering his talk on why-no-indictment, that he was also emitting an ultrasonic distress beacon at a pitch that only bats can hear . . . . in hopes that all the right bats would hear it.

The text of the talk itself translates to " Too Big To Indict".

I wonder if
somebody put
a horse's head
in Comey's bed.

[Tyler]

EA,

You haven't been reading very well then.

Yes, rattling her tin cup to other Borgists (how very populist!) and prepping for the debates by being able to stay on stage the entire time.

[Edward Amame]

Col Lang

At his July 5 press conference, Comey said a “very small number” of emails sent/received by HRC over her private server “bore markings indicating the presence of classified information.” Those are the three emails I referred to.

The State Department says two of the emails were mistakenly marked as CONFIDENTIAL.

I don't know what TS info you are referring to.

[Tyler]

Jack,

One can see the strength of Trump's week in the full throated freak out with total loss of amygdala control by the MSM. Between the hysteria you can see the amazing projection of Trump being the "rise of ice tity" politics, as if they haven't been playing this game since the 60s.

Trump got the families of those killed by illegal aliens on stage and on camera, and the media has the chutzpah (after using Gabby Gifford as a human totem, to say nothing of the nothers of gentle giant and all the rest) to bitch about him waving a bloody shirt.

Amazing to watch. I think the ad buys are a desperate gasp. Romney bought tons of ads too. Look where it got him (and Jeb!).