[h=2]Mitchell: Clinton Never Answered Why She Had a Private Email Server[/h]SHARE
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BY: David Rutz
September 4, 2015 2:54 pm
MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell said Hillary Clinton never answered why she had a private email server during their exclusive interview Friday, telling fellow network host Thomas Roberts Clinton did not “really define” her reasoning.
Clinton never officially apologized for her use of a private email server, despite being twice asked if she would by Mitchell, but she did say she was “sorry” about any “confusion” she may have caused.
“She didn’t really say she’s sorry she did it,“ Mitchell said. “When I asked a couple of times why she had a private email server, she said she wasn’t thinking … So that didn’t really define why she did it, which is the question that a lot of people are wondering. Was it the investigations of the 90s when they were in the White House and was trying to frustrate reporters’ requests or congressional requests?”
Mitchell also criticized Clinton’s “parsing” of words with her claim again that nothing marked classified had been sent or received on her private server.
“She claimed nothing had been classified but, again, that is parsing words that nothing was marked classified at the time,” Mitchell said. “There are internal arguments all the time among intelligence agencies any time there’s a freedom of information request to release something to the press. The intelligence agencies move in and they generally do try to upgrade classifications, but that has caused a lot of controversy.”
Clinton’s sit-down with Mitchell Friday was only her third nationally televised interview of her presidential campaign. The private email scandal, which first came to light in March, has dogged Clinton’s numbers and caused a once blowout Democratic race to considerably tighten, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) starting to get on her tail in Iowa and leading in New Hampshire.
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BY: David Rutz
September 4, 2015 2:54 pm
MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell said Hillary Clinton never answered why she had a private email server during their exclusive interview Friday, telling fellow network host Thomas Roberts Clinton did not “really define” her reasoning.
Clinton never officially apologized for her use of a private email server, despite being twice asked if she would by Mitchell, but she did say she was “sorry” about any “confusion” she may have caused.
“She didn’t really say she’s sorry she did it,“ Mitchell said. “When I asked a couple of times why she had a private email server, she said she wasn’t thinking … So that didn’t really define why she did it, which is the question that a lot of people are wondering. Was it the investigations of the 90s when they were in the White House and was trying to frustrate reporters’ requests or congressional requests?”
Mitchell also criticized Clinton’s “parsing” of words with her claim again that nothing marked classified had been sent or received on her private server.
“She claimed nothing had been classified but, again, that is parsing words that nothing was marked classified at the time,” Mitchell said. “There are internal arguments all the time among intelligence agencies any time there’s a freedom of information request to release something to the press. The intelligence agencies move in and they generally do try to upgrade classifications, but that has caused a lot of controversy.”
Clinton’s sit-down with Mitchell Friday was only her third nationally televised interview of her presidential campaign. The private email scandal, which first came to light in March, has dogged Clinton’s numbers and caused a once blowout Democratic race to considerably tighten, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) starting to get on her tail in Iowa and leading in New Hampshire.
[h=2]Clinton Twice Refuses to Apologize for Private Email Scandal[/h]SHARE
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BY: David Rutz
September 4, 2015 12:18 pm
Despite being given two opportunities to do so by MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell, Hillary Clinton did not apologize Friday for her use of a private email server while at the State Department.
“You said recently that using your personal email while you were secretary of state was not the best choice and that you take responsibility,” Mitchell said. “Are you sorry?”
“Well, I certainly wish I had made a different choice and I know why the American people have questions about it, and I wanted to make sure that I answer those questions,” Clinton said. “My personal email use was fully aboveboard. It was allowed by the State Department as they have confirmed, but in retrospect … I should have had two accounts. One for personal, one for work-related.”
Clinton’s sentiment about understanding why the American people wanted to know more was curious, given she had claimed in August no one spoke to her about her email saga except the media covering the scandal.
After a long-winded answer by Clinton about the focus of her presidential campaign, Mitchell strangely repeated her question as if Clinton had not heard it the first time.
“But this has created what even your own campaign manager said are some headwinds,” Mitchell said. “A lot of noise out there, so let’s get through some of it. First of all, are you sorry? Do you want to apologize to the American people for the choice you made?”
“Well, it wasn’t the best choice, and I certainly have said that,” Clinton said. “I will continue to say that. As I’ve also said many times, it was allowed and it was fully aboveboard. The people in the government knew that I was using a personal account, but it would have been better to have two separate accounts to begin with.“
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BY: David Rutz
September 4, 2015 12:18 pm
Despite being given two opportunities to do so by MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell, Hillary Clinton did not apologize Friday for her use of a private email server while at the State Department.
“You said recently that using your personal email while you were secretary of state was not the best choice and that you take responsibility,” Mitchell said. “Are you sorry?”
“Well, I certainly wish I had made a different choice and I know why the American people have questions about it, and I wanted to make sure that I answer those questions,” Clinton said. “My personal email use was fully aboveboard. It was allowed by the State Department as they have confirmed, but in retrospect … I should have had two accounts. One for personal, one for work-related.”
Clinton’s sentiment about understanding why the American people wanted to know more was curious, given she had claimed in August no one spoke to her about her email saga except the media covering the scandal.
After a long-winded answer by Clinton about the focus of her presidential campaign, Mitchell strangely repeated her question as if Clinton had not heard it the first time.
“But this has created what even your own campaign manager said are some headwinds,” Mitchell said. “A lot of noise out there, so let’s get through some of it. First of all, are you sorry? Do you want to apologize to the American people for the choice you made?”
“Well, it wasn’t the best choice, and I certainly have said that,” Clinton said. “I will continue to say that. As I’ve also said many times, it was allowed and it was fully aboveboard. The people in the government knew that I was using a personal account, but it would have been better to have two separate accounts to begin with.“
[h=1]Second Review Says Classified Information Was in Hillary Clinton’s Email[/h]
Mrs. Clinton’s presidential campaign and the State Department disputed the inspector general’s finding last month and questioned whether the emails had been overclassified by an arbitrary process. But the special review — by the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency — concluded that the emails were “Top Secret,” the highest classification of government intelligence, when they were sent to Mrs. Clinton in 2009 and 2011.
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Mrs. Clinton’s presidential campaign and the State Department disputed the inspector general’s finding last month and questioned whether the emails had been overclassified by an arbitrary process. But the special review — by the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency — concluded that the emails were “Top Secret,” the highest classification of government intelligence, when they were sent to Mrs. Clinton in 2009 and 2011.
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[h=1]Second Review Says Classified Information Was in Hillary Clinton’s Email[/h]By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDTSEPT. 7, 2015
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Hillary Rodham Clinton’s work-related emails from when she was secretary of state are slowly being released by the State Department. CreditCharlie Neibergall/Associated PressAdvertisement
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[h=2]STORIES FROM OUR ADVERTISERS[/h]
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Hillary Rodham Clinton’s work-related emails from when she was secretary of state are slowly being released by the State Department. CreditCharlie Neibergall/Associated PressAdvertisement
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[h=2]STORIES FROM OUR ADVERTISERS[/h]
How pathetic is this?
[h=1]Andrea Mitchell worried Hillary would cut off interview[/h]
NBC’s Andrea Mitchell said Tuesday that she didn’t get to ask Hillary Clinton all of her questions about using a private email account, because she worried the candidate would cut off the interview.
[h=1]Andrea Mitchell worried Hillary would cut off interview[/h]
NBC’s Andrea Mitchell said Tuesday that she didn’t get to ask Hillary Clinton all of her questions about using a private email account, because she worried the candidate would cut off the interview.
[h=2]John Kerry Appoints Hillary Clinton Donor as ‘Transparency Coordinator’ at State Department[/h]SHARE
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BY: Morgan Chalfant
September 8, 2015 3:43 pm
Secretary of State John Kerry appointed former career diplomat Janice Jacobs as the government agency’s “transparency coordinator” who will be responsible for improving its document preservation and transparency systems.
The announcement comes as the State Department receives multiple Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and inquiries from congressional lawmakers stemming from the controversy surrounding former secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s exclusive use of a private email system while working in the Obama administration.
Jacobs, who most recently worked as Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs before retiring last year, appears to have donated the maximum $2,700 to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in June, according to records from the Federal Election Commission.
Jacobs will be tasked with ensuring that the department responds more efficiently to FOIA requests and improving the agency’s document preservation and production.
An unnamed senior official told CNN that the decision was “born out of frustration” from Kerry regarding criticism of the State Department by congressional lawmakers and federal judges for not responding to FOIA requests quickly enough, especially amid controversy surrounding Clinton’s email.
“He is also bothered frankly by unfair criticism of some of our public servants that have been working hard without enough resources,” the anonymous official continued.
Kerry said in a statement Tuesday that FOIA requests have tripled since 2008. According to officials, a “large volume” of the FOIA requests and congressional inquiries received by the agency over the last six months have had to do with Clinton’s email.
“We have a fundamental obligation to document the conduct of U.S. foreign policy and to produce our records in response to requests from the public and Congress,” Kerry said Tuesday, announcing the appointment. “Our records and our ability to share them serve as testament to our commitment to transparency and open government.”
“It is clear that our systems and our resources are straining to keep pace with the growing number of records we create and the expanding demand for access to them,” the secretary of state admitted. “It is time to take further action. I want the department to lead on these issues, to set and achieve a new standard for our efforts, and harness new technological tools in order to meet our commitments.”
Kerry labeled Jacobs, who once served as the U.S. Ambassador to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, “exactly the right person for this job.”
Kerry specifically pointed to Jacobs’ experience as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services beginning in 2002, during which time she helped fix visa issuance policies and streamline how the State Department shared information with law enforcement and intelligence agencies after the 9/11 attacks.
In addition to fielding numerous FOIA requests and congressional inquiries, the State Department is also busy vetting the 55,000 pages of Hillary Clinton’s work-related emails in order to release them to the public.
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John Kerry / AP
BY: Morgan Chalfant
September 8, 2015 3:43 pm
Secretary of State John Kerry appointed former career diplomat Janice Jacobs as the government agency’s “transparency coordinator” who will be responsible for improving its document preservation and transparency systems.
The announcement comes as the State Department receives multiple Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and inquiries from congressional lawmakers stemming from the controversy surrounding former secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s exclusive use of a private email system while working in the Obama administration.
Jacobs, who most recently worked as Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs before retiring last year, appears to have donated the maximum $2,700 to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in June, according to records from the Federal Election Commission.
Jacobs will be tasked with ensuring that the department responds more efficiently to FOIA requests and improving the agency’s document preservation and production.
An unnamed senior official told CNN that the decision was “born out of frustration” from Kerry regarding criticism of the State Department by congressional lawmakers and federal judges for not responding to FOIA requests quickly enough, especially amid controversy surrounding Clinton’s email.
“He is also bothered frankly by unfair criticism of some of our public servants that have been working hard without enough resources,” the anonymous official continued.
Kerry said in a statement Tuesday that FOIA requests have tripled since 2008. According to officials, a “large volume” of the FOIA requests and congressional inquiries received by the agency over the last six months have had to do with Clinton’s email.
“We have a fundamental obligation to document the conduct of U.S. foreign policy and to produce our records in response to requests from the public and Congress,” Kerry said Tuesday, announcing the appointment. “Our records and our ability to share them serve as testament to our commitment to transparency and open government.”
“It is clear that our systems and our resources are straining to keep pace with the growing number of records we create and the expanding demand for access to them,” the secretary of state admitted. “It is time to take further action. I want the department to lead on these issues, to set and achieve a new standard for our efforts, and harness new technological tools in order to meet our commitments.”
Kerry labeled Jacobs, who once served as the U.S. Ambassador to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, “exactly the right person for this job.”
Kerry specifically pointed to Jacobs’ experience as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services beginning in 2002, during which time she helped fix visa issuance policies and streamline how the State Department shared information with law enforcement and intelligence agencies after the 9/11 attacks.
In addition to fielding numerous FOIA requests and congressional inquiries, the State Department is also busy vetting the 55,000 pages of Hillary Clinton’s work-related emails in order to release them to the public.
[h=1]NEW DOCUMENTS RAISE QUESTIONS ON HILLARY CLINTON AND CLASSIFIED MATERIAL[/h]
White House Photo / Pete Souza
by TOM FITTON8 Sep 2015Washington, DC94
If Team Clinton and Team Obama had their druthers, the American people would know nothing about her non-government email system. But thanks to numerous federal lawsuits and multiple federal court orders obtained by Judicial Watch, the Obama State Department must disgorge document after document about this increasingly serious scandal. Judicial Watch has had another major breakthrough to report.
Judicial Watch forced the release of State Department emails that show then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her top staff pushed for the use of personal digital assistant (PDA) devices for secret and top secret information. The records also show that the State Department official rejected this “push” for the special PDAs. A court order forced this document release in a Judicial Watch Freedom of Information (FOIA) lawsuit. In a related court filing, we made it a point to highlight the agency’s failure to comply with the court’s orders regarding the production of the documents.
A State Department email chain shows a February 2, 2009 discussion by State Department security staff, in which agency top security official (former Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Eric J. Boswell) writes:
(In a testament to government non-accountability, Mr. Boswell was placed on administrative leave because of the security failures tied to the Benghazi terrorist attack but reportedly was reinstated and reassigned to a new position by Secretary of State John Kerry.)
State Department Executive Secretary Joseph E. McManus declared under penalty of perjury in another Judicial Watch lawsuit that the agency “does not believe that any personal computing device was issued by the Department to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and has not located any such device at the Department” (and possibly destroyed the BlackBerrys of her aides Huma Abedin and Cheryl Mills).
You can also see how a recent 7,000-page email dump that produced emails showing Hillary Clinton snagged an iPad with the help of State Department employees is seemingly at odds with this State Department statement.
The State Department’s release of the few emails highlighting Hillary Clinton push for a classified PDA falls way short of the disclosure the federal judge overseeing our case demanded. Judicial Watch informed the court of the State Department’s failure to produce documents or information on its search for responsive records as ordered by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on July 7, 2015. Since its last report to the court on July 2, State has produced only these two pages of responsive email records – and they were a week late – delivered on August 27.
The State Department said that it had 250 potentially responsive documents, and didn’t tell us or the judge much else:
One can see the motive for the stonewalling, as these two documents further confirm that Hillary Clinton and her staff tried and failed to convince the State Department to issue them smart devices that could handle classified data. This push for a “Top Secret”-safe smart phone or tablet also blows up Hillary Clinton’s obvious lie that she set up a separate email system because she didn’t want to use two devices.
There are more documents to come!
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by TOM FITTON8 Sep 2015Washington, DC94
If Team Clinton and Team Obama had their druthers, the American people would know nothing about her non-government email system. But thanks to numerous federal lawsuits and multiple federal court orders obtained by Judicial Watch, the Obama State Department must disgorge document after document about this increasingly serious scandal. Judicial Watch has had another major breakthrough to report.
Judicial Watch forced the release of State Department emails that show then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her top staff pushed for the use of personal digital assistant (PDA) devices for secret and top secret information. The records also show that the State Department official rejected this “push” for the special PDAs. A court order forced this document release in a Judicial Watch Freedom of Information (FOIA) lawsuit. In a related court filing, we made it a point to highlight the agency’s failure to comply with the court’s orders regarding the production of the documents.
A State Department email chain shows a February 2, 2009 discussion by State Department security staff, in which agency top security official (former Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Eric J. Boswell) writes:
On the off chance that [Clinton’s] staff continues to push for [secret] or [top secret]-capable PDAs [redacted]. I’ll need a briefing on what we know [redaction] Pls schedule.
The email was sent to another top security official – Donald R. Reid, the State Department’s security coordinator for security infrastructure, and Patrick Donovan, then-deputy assistant secretary of State and then director, Diplomatic Security Service.
(In a testament to government non-accountability, Mr. Boswell was placed on administrative leave because of the security failures tied to the Benghazi terrorist attack but reportedly was reinstated and reassigned to a new position by Secretary of State John Kerry.)
State Department Executive Secretary Joseph E. McManus declared under penalty of perjury in another Judicial Watch lawsuit that the agency “does not believe that any personal computing device was issued by the Department to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and has not located any such device at the Department” (and possibly destroyed the BlackBerrys of her aides Huma Abedin and Cheryl Mills).
You can also see how a recent 7,000-page email dump that produced emails showing Hillary Clinton snagged an iPad with the help of State Department employees is seemingly at odds with this State Department statement.
The State Department’s release of the few emails highlighting Hillary Clinton push for a classified PDA falls way short of the disclosure the federal judge overseeing our case demanded. Judicial Watch informed the court of the State Department’s failure to produce documents or information on its search for responsive records as ordered by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on July 7, 2015. Since its last report to the court on July 2, State has produced only these two pages of responsive email records – and they were a week late – delivered on August 27.
The State Department said that it had 250 potentially responsive documents, and didn’t tell us or the judge much else:
[The State Department] did not indicate when it located these records, where it located these records and why it did not include these records in its review of the initial production. [The State Department] also stated that its search was ongoing, but did not give any indication when it will complete its search of all potentially responsive records. It also did not indicate the scope of the search or the volume of all potentially responsive records. [Judicial Watch] requested that [the State Department] supplement its response and provide this information before today’s Joint Status Report. [The State Department] did not do so.
The July court order requires the State Department to “make its first production of responsive records by no later than August 20, 2015,” and detail both the volume and scope of responsive documents. So it is a contemptuous fail all around as the State Department flouts court order after court order over the Clinton email issue. This corruption wastes our resources (and the court’s), as it requires our legal team to spend precious time seeking relief again from the court. Our attorneys had to ask the court to reorder the State Department to provide details about its search and stop hiding the ball about these documents.
One can see the motive for the stonewalling, as these two documents further confirm that Hillary Clinton and her staff tried and failed to convince the State Department to issue them smart devices that could handle classified data. This push for a “Top Secret”-safe smart phone or tablet also blows up Hillary Clinton’s obvious lie that she set up a separate email system because she didn’t want to use two devices.
There are more documents to come!
[h=1]HILLARY CLINTON WAS WARNED BENGHAZI TERRORISTS USED YOUTUBE VIDEO AS ‘COVER’[/h]
by PATRICK HOWLEY8 Sep 20151,136
[h=2]Then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was warned that the Benghazi terrorist attack was carried out by a terrorist group using Youtube video protests as “cover,” in a memo that she received the day after the attack.[/h]Nevertheless, Clinton still went ahead and pushed the false talking point that spontaneous protests incited by the Internet movie Innocence of Muslims caused the death of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others.
Clinton received a memo on September 12, 2012, the day after the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, identifying the Ansar Al Sharia Islamist group as the culprits. The memo came from Tyler Drumheller, the now-deceased former-CIA spy who became famous for questioning the intelligence used to justify the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq. It is likely that the person who forwarded the memo to Clinton—whose name is redacted on the State Department’s release of the email—was Clinton’s unofficial political and Libya adviser Sidney Blumenthal, who was using Drumheller as a source.
“On September 12, 2012 Libyan President Mohammed Yussef el Magariaf told senior advisors that the death of the U.S. Ambassador at the hands of Islamist militia forces represents a threat to the future of the newly elected General National Congress (GNC) Government,” the memo stated. It went on:
But Clinton went ahead and publicly blamed the Youtube video, anyway.
On the morning of September 13, Clinton made a statement pointing the blame at the Youtube film. Clinton said:
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by PATRICK HOWLEY8 Sep 20151,136
[h=2]Then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was warned that the Benghazi terrorist attack was carried out by a terrorist group using Youtube video protests as “cover,” in a memo that she received the day after the attack.[/h]Nevertheless, Clinton still went ahead and pushed the false talking point that spontaneous protests incited by the Internet movie Innocence of Muslims caused the death of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others.
Clinton received a memo on September 12, 2012, the day after the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, identifying the Ansar Al Sharia Islamist group as the culprits. The memo came from Tyler Drumheller, the now-deceased former-CIA spy who became famous for questioning the intelligence used to justify the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq. It is likely that the person who forwarded the memo to Clinton—whose name is redacted on the State Department’s release of the email—was Clinton’s unofficial political and Libya adviser Sidney Blumenthal, who was using Drumheller as a source.
“On September 12, 2012 Libyan President Mohammed Yussef el Magariaf told senior advisors that the death of the U.S. Ambassador at the hands of Islamist militia forces represents a threat to the future of the newly elected General National Congress (GNC) Government,” the memo stated. It went on:
According to a sensitive source, el Magariaf believes that the primary goal of this and other attacks on Western facilities is to demonstrate that the GNC cannot protect its non-Islamic friends. Libyan security officials believe that the attack was carried out by forces of the Islamist militia group calling itself the Ansar al Sharia brigade; working out of camps in the Eastern suburbs of Benghazi. These officials added that their sources indicate that this group is led by former members of the old Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), some of whom are loyal to Islamist General Abclelhakim Belhaj.
The memo made clear that the attackers were using the video Innocence of Muslims as cover. The memo stated:
They also have no direct information as to whether this assault has anything to do with the death of Libyan born al Qai’da leader Abu Yahya al- Libi, but they are pursuing this theme. These officials do believe that the attackers having prepared to launch their assault took advantage of the cover provided by the demonstrations in Benghazi protesting an internet production seen as disrespectful to the prophet Mohammed.
Clinton obviously trusted the information. She forwarded the memo to her State Department aide Jacob Sullivan, saying, “We should get this around asap.”
But Clinton went ahead and publicly blamed the Youtube video, anyway.
On the morning of September 13, Clinton made a statement pointing the blame at the Youtube film. Clinton said:
Unfortunately, however, over the last 24 hours, we have also seen violence spread elsewhere. Some seek to justify this behavior as a response to inflammatory, despicable material posted on the Internet. As I said earlier today, the United States rejects both the content and the message of that video. The United States deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. At our meeting earlier today, my colleague, the foreign minister of Morocco, said that all prophets should be respected because they are all symbols of our humanity, for all humanity.
Clinton later told the father of fallen SEAL Tyrone Woods at a memorial service that she planned to “arrest and prosecute” the filmmaker responsible for the Youtube video. Filmmaker Nakoula Basseley was later arrested on probation violations and sentenced to a year in prison.
^^^^^^"Cover" - a word very familiar to Hillary Clinton
(from the above post) "Clinton obviously trusted the information. She forwarded the memo to her State Department aide Jacob Sullivan, saying, “We should get this around asap.”
But Clinton went ahead and publicly blamed the Youtube video, anyway."
(from the above post) "Clinton obviously trusted the information. She forwarded the memo to her State Department aide Jacob Sullivan, saying, “We should get this around asap.”
But Clinton went ahead and publicly blamed the Youtube video, anyway."
Get ready for here to start trying to battle back. She's going to go the 1 on 1 interview route, probably on every network. She knows the e-mail scandal has damaged her. Already sat down with ABC's David Muir and MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell. Fareed Zakaria, Meet The Press, and Face The Nation are probably on tap. "I made a mistake and I'm owning up to it. I love this country, verge of tears, etc....."
She also said she has been trying to testify before the Benghazi committee for a year now. Was that because she did not want any emails thrown at her. Actually I can't wait until she testifies and if she takes the fifth the party is over. I would not want Trey Gowdy after me that is for sure.
[h=2]Hillary Clinton Staffer Pushed to Accept Immunity to Testify on Private Server[/h]SHARE
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BY: Morgan Chalfant
September 9, 2015 4:02 pm
Two Senate committee chairmen authored a letter to a former Hillary Clinton aide pushing him to accept limited immunity in order to testify before Congress on the set-up of the former secretary of state’s private server.
First reported by McClatchy, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Ron Johnson (R., Wis.), who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee, sent the letter to ex-State Department computer staffer Brian Pagliano and his lawyer Friday emphasizing the possibility of an “immunity order.”
In response to a subpoena from the House Select Committee on Benghazi, Pagliano’s attorney Mark MacDougall told the committee early last week that Pagliano plans to assert his Fifth Amendment right to avoid testifying on Clinton’s email system. Pagliano, who also worked on Clinton’s failed 2008 presidential campaign, set up Clinton’s personal server in 2009.
MacDougall likewise told the Senate Judiciary Committee that Pagliano would plead the Fifth.
However, in the letter sent to Pagliano last week, Grassley and Johnson said that the Senate committees have the “authority” to get the ex-Clinton staffer limited immunity so that he can provide them with information regarding Clinton’s email while allowing him to maintain his constitutional rights.
“The committees … need the unique information you likely have in order to exercise their oversight functions under the Constitution, which are unrelated to any potential prosecution or criminal inquiry,” Grassley and Johnson wrote. “Thus, the committees have the authority to obtain an immunity order, to acquire the information they need, while also protecting your right against self-incrimination.”
The Republican senators requested that Pagliano direct his lawyers to meet confidentially with committee aides in order to determine the best course of action.
“We ask that your attorneys meet with the committees’ staff to explore how to obtain the unique information you possess while respecting your constitutional rights, such as the possibility of a proffer session so that we can better understand what your testimony would be without any waiver of your rights,” they wrote.
Grassley and Johnson demanded a response from Pagliano no later than Thursday, Sept. 10.
Clinton has endured increased scrutiny for her exclusive use of a personal email system while at the State Department. The FBI is currently investigating the security of her email server after the inspector general of the intelligence community determined that two emails held on the system contain top secret information that was classified at the time they were sent.
While the Clinton campaign has disputed the findings of I. Charles McCullough III, a special review by the CIA and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency recently confirmed that the two emails do indeed contain information with the highest level of classification.
Clinton has repeatedly said that she never sent or received information marked classified on her personal email.
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Hillary Rodham Clinton / AP
BY: Morgan Chalfant
September 9, 2015 4:02 pm
Two Senate committee chairmen authored a letter to a former Hillary Clinton aide pushing him to accept limited immunity in order to testify before Congress on the set-up of the former secretary of state’s private server.
First reported by McClatchy, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Ron Johnson (R., Wis.), who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee, sent the letter to ex-State Department computer staffer Brian Pagliano and his lawyer Friday emphasizing the possibility of an “immunity order.”
In response to a subpoena from the House Select Committee on Benghazi, Pagliano’s attorney Mark MacDougall told the committee early last week that Pagliano plans to assert his Fifth Amendment right to avoid testifying on Clinton’s email system. Pagliano, who also worked on Clinton’s failed 2008 presidential campaign, set up Clinton’s personal server in 2009.
MacDougall likewise told the Senate Judiciary Committee that Pagliano would plead the Fifth.
However, in the letter sent to Pagliano last week, Grassley and Johnson said that the Senate committees have the “authority” to get the ex-Clinton staffer limited immunity so that he can provide them with information regarding Clinton’s email while allowing him to maintain his constitutional rights.
“The committees … need the unique information you likely have in order to exercise their oversight functions under the Constitution, which are unrelated to any potential prosecution or criminal inquiry,” Grassley and Johnson wrote. “Thus, the committees have the authority to obtain an immunity order, to acquire the information they need, while also protecting your right against self-incrimination.”
The Republican senators requested that Pagliano direct his lawyers to meet confidentially with committee aides in order to determine the best course of action.
“We ask that your attorneys meet with the committees’ staff to explore how to obtain the unique information you possess while respecting your constitutional rights, such as the possibility of a proffer session so that we can better understand what your testimony would be without any waiver of your rights,” they wrote.
Grassley and Johnson demanded a response from Pagliano no later than Thursday, Sept. 10.
Clinton has endured increased scrutiny for her exclusive use of a personal email system while at the State Department. The FBI is currently investigating the security of her email server after the inspector general of the intelligence community determined that two emails held on the system contain top secret information that was classified at the time they were sent.
While the Clinton campaign has disputed the findings of I. Charles McCullough III, a special review by the CIA and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency recently confirmed that the two emails do indeed contain information with the highest level of classification.
Clinton has repeatedly said that she never sent or received information marked classified on her personal email.
HILLARY SLAMS OBAMA: 'They need a leader who cares about them again'...
Big-Name Plan Bs...
The Huma Files: Feds formally investigated top Clinton aide for embezzlement...
GOV'T TURNS OVER FEWER EMAILS THAN ORDERED...
Weiner told to stay away from Hillary fundraiser...
PLACE YOUR BETS: WYNN GETS FIRST DEM DEBATE...
Two DNC Officials Call for Adding More Debates...
Former Clinton IT Staffer: No testimony without immunity...
Big-Name Plan Bs...
The Huma Files: Feds formally investigated top Clinton aide for embezzlement...
GOV'T TURNS OVER FEWER EMAILS THAN ORDERED...
Weiner told to stay away from Hillary fundraiser...
PLACE YOUR BETS: WYNN GETS FIRST DEM DEBATE...
Two DNC Officials Call for Adding More Debates...
Former Clinton IT Staffer: No testimony without immunity...
[h=2]House Armed Services Chief: Intel Losses, Including Clinton Emails, Caused Serious Damage[/h]Enemies helped by classified info passed to Wikileaks, Snowden compromises
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BY: Bill Gertz
September 10, 2015 5:00 am
Intelligence compromises over the past five years, including the transfer of top-secret data on Hillary Clinton’s private email server, inflicted serious damage on U.S. national security, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said Wednesday.
Rep. Mac Thornberry (R., Tex.), who has headed the committee since January, said the combined effect of disclosures to the anti-secrecy website Wikileaks, the theft of over a million National Security Agency secret documents by the renegade NSA contractor Edward Snowden, and now the potential loss of secrets from Clinton’s use of a private email system is helping American adversaries such as China, Russia, and the Islamic State.
“It has certainly helped our primary adversaries,” Thornberry said during a wide-ranging interview in his office at the Rayburn building.
The chairman said he believes the compromise of intelligence information over the past five years is “probably the most damaging thing that’s happened to U.S. national security.”
“Whether it was Wikileaks or Snowden or now the Hillary emails, we have done more to hurt ourselves than the Russians, the Chinese, the terrorists, or anybody else that you want to name.”
“This is serious business when you have top secret emails on a private server, and then you think it all goes away by saying ‘I’m sorry.’ It’s just… The damage to the country is just enormous when you put these compromises together.”
In the interview, Thornberry also said Congress is close to finishing work on a House-Senate conference on the fiscal 2016 defense authorization bill that will provide some relief for Pentagon budget woes by allowing the use of funds slated for overseas operations.
The White House has threatened to veto the bill over the provisions, though the legislation funds the president’s budget request of $561 billion.
On other issues, Thornberry said:
• Legislation is being prepared that will partially undo Budget Control Act limits on spending in ways that will not increase the federal deficit.
• The Iran nuclear deal lacks adequate verification provisions and will not resolve issues of past nuclear arms work. Also, the president’s assertion that rejecting the Iran nuclear deal would lead to war is a “straw man” argument meant to defend a bad agreement. The agreement “strengthens” the Islamist regime in Tehran and makes Iran less likely to moderate its behavior over the next 15 years.
“The president made a fundamental miscalculation” about Iran’s future, he said, noting that Iran’s Quds forces will be strengthened by the pact and the release of billions in frozen funds.
• Congress will be briefed this week on Iran’s continuing covert support to terrorists and insurgents in Yemen, Lebanon, and Afghanistan, as well as on Iran’s missile programs, which will be “unconstrained completely” after embargoed funds are released.
• The administration will undermine significant gains made by the U.S. military against insurgents in Afghanistan by pulling out all U.S. troops. At least 10,000 troops should remain to support Afghan security forces as they are strengthened.
• Terrorism is resurgent in Afghanistan as the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL) grows, and the Taliban is becoming more violent as a result of a split within its ranks.
• The U.S. military has been severely restricted in the current bombing campaign in Syria and Iraq, raising questions about the administration’s stated commitment to destroy and degrade IS.
“It raises questions about whether the United States is serious about degrading ISIS,” Thornberry said.
• Russia’s nuclear and conventional military buildup, as well as China’s modernization and Iran’s nuclear ambitions, should lead to a major reassessment of U.S. nuclear strategy and a reinvigoration of strategic nuclear modernization.
“[Russia’s] economy may be in trouble but they are making key investments in a number of weapons systems that cause us a lot of problems. And the Chinese are as well.”
• The Pentagon has become “alarmed” at some of China’s advanced military capabilities that appear designed for use in a conflict with the United States and to prevent the American military from operating in the Pacific.
On the damage caused by intelligence compromises, the Russian and Chinese governments and Islamic terrorists benefitted from NSA leaks, Thornberry said.
“The terrorists adapted their tactics with all the Snowden leaks,” he said. “They saw what we do, and how we do it and changed accordingly.”
Thornberry also said that Russia and China were “informed” by the NSA disclosures. He did not elaborate.
“And so we are helping our adversaries and hurting ourselves by not being as careful as we should have been with this information.”
Former NSA Deputy Director Chris Inglis and former NSA Director Michael Hayden told theWashington Times last year that the Islamic State learned from leaked NSA documents how to avoid NSA surveillance.
The Clinton email scandal surfaced last month when the U.S. intelligence community inspector general disclosed that top-secret information was placed on Clinton’s private email server that she used while serving as secretary of state.
The top-secret classified data included intelligence information derived from satellites and electronic communications.
Clinton at first denied any classified information was stored on some 60,000 emails on the private server. Later she revised her stance to say that no “marked” classified information was contained in the emails.
This week the Democratic presidential contender said she was sorry for using the server. The apology followed a second U.S. government security review that uncovered additional classified data.
Clinton aides have sought to downplay the security compromises by asserting that it involves a dispute over classification between the State Department and intelligence agencies.
The FBI is investigating the compromise of top-secret information that was discovered last month in a sample of some 60,000 emails exchanged by Clinton and her aides while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.
About 30,000 emails were provided to the FBI and investigators are attempting to recover an estimated 32,000 emails that Clinton said were “personal” and unrelated to her work.
Earlier damaging intelligence breaches included the electronic theft of hundreds of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents by Army Sgt. Bradley Manning that were given to Wikileaks in 2010. Manning was convicted of espionage, theft, and fraud in July 2013 and is serving a 35-year prison term.
Months later, Snowden, who has said that he believes the NSA is conspiring to usurp American democracy through illicit electronic surveillance, used his access to top-secret documents while working as an NSA computer administrator to download an estimated 1.7 million classified documents. Those documents were provided to several journalists.
Snowden fled to Hong Kong and later Russia, where he is currently under Russian government protection. He faces prosecution from the Justice Department in America.
Thornberry declined to say which Republican presidential candidate he will support.
“There is a big field,” he said. “I am most interested in who is going to be the best commander-in-chief to clean up the mess that’s going to be left on his or her desk on day one. I don’t know who that is but that’s sure what I’m listening for.”
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Rep. Mac Thornberry (Photo: Bill Gertz)
BY: Bill Gertz
September 10, 2015 5:00 am
Intelligence compromises over the past five years, including the transfer of top-secret data on Hillary Clinton’s private email server, inflicted serious damage on U.S. national security, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said Wednesday.
Rep. Mac Thornberry (R., Tex.), who has headed the committee since January, said the combined effect of disclosures to the anti-secrecy website Wikileaks, the theft of over a million National Security Agency secret documents by the renegade NSA contractor Edward Snowden, and now the potential loss of secrets from Clinton’s use of a private email system is helping American adversaries such as China, Russia, and the Islamic State.
“It has certainly helped our primary adversaries,” Thornberry said during a wide-ranging interview in his office at the Rayburn building.
The chairman said he believes the compromise of intelligence information over the past five years is “probably the most damaging thing that’s happened to U.S. national security.”
“Whether it was Wikileaks or Snowden or now the Hillary emails, we have done more to hurt ourselves than the Russians, the Chinese, the terrorists, or anybody else that you want to name.”
“This is serious business when you have top secret emails on a private server, and then you think it all goes away by saying ‘I’m sorry.’ It’s just… The damage to the country is just enormous when you put these compromises together.”
In the interview, Thornberry also said Congress is close to finishing work on a House-Senate conference on the fiscal 2016 defense authorization bill that will provide some relief for Pentagon budget woes by allowing the use of funds slated for overseas operations.
The White House has threatened to veto the bill over the provisions, though the legislation funds the president’s budget request of $561 billion.
On other issues, Thornberry said:
• Legislation is being prepared that will partially undo Budget Control Act limits on spending in ways that will not increase the federal deficit.
• The Iran nuclear deal lacks adequate verification provisions and will not resolve issues of past nuclear arms work. Also, the president’s assertion that rejecting the Iran nuclear deal would lead to war is a “straw man” argument meant to defend a bad agreement. The agreement “strengthens” the Islamist regime in Tehran and makes Iran less likely to moderate its behavior over the next 15 years.
“The president made a fundamental miscalculation” about Iran’s future, he said, noting that Iran’s Quds forces will be strengthened by the pact and the release of billions in frozen funds.
• Congress will be briefed this week on Iran’s continuing covert support to terrorists and insurgents in Yemen, Lebanon, and Afghanistan, as well as on Iran’s missile programs, which will be “unconstrained completely” after embargoed funds are released.
• The administration will undermine significant gains made by the U.S. military against insurgents in Afghanistan by pulling out all U.S. troops. At least 10,000 troops should remain to support Afghan security forces as they are strengthened.
• Terrorism is resurgent in Afghanistan as the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL) grows, and the Taliban is becoming more violent as a result of a split within its ranks.
• The U.S. military has been severely restricted in the current bombing campaign in Syria and Iraq, raising questions about the administration’s stated commitment to destroy and degrade IS.
“It raises questions about whether the United States is serious about degrading ISIS,” Thornberry said.
• Russia’s nuclear and conventional military buildup, as well as China’s modernization and Iran’s nuclear ambitions, should lead to a major reassessment of U.S. nuclear strategy and a reinvigoration of strategic nuclear modernization.
“[Russia’s] economy may be in trouble but they are making key investments in a number of weapons systems that cause us a lot of problems. And the Chinese are as well.”
• The Pentagon has become “alarmed” at some of China’s advanced military capabilities that appear designed for use in a conflict with the United States and to prevent the American military from operating in the Pacific.
On the damage caused by intelligence compromises, the Russian and Chinese governments and Islamic terrorists benefitted from NSA leaks, Thornberry said.
“The terrorists adapted their tactics with all the Snowden leaks,” he said. “They saw what we do, and how we do it and changed accordingly.”
Thornberry also said that Russia and China were “informed” by the NSA disclosures. He did not elaborate.
“And so we are helping our adversaries and hurting ourselves by not being as careful as we should have been with this information.”
Former NSA Deputy Director Chris Inglis and former NSA Director Michael Hayden told theWashington Times last year that the Islamic State learned from leaked NSA documents how to avoid NSA surveillance.
The Clinton email scandal surfaced last month when the U.S. intelligence community inspector general disclosed that top-secret information was placed on Clinton’s private email server that she used while serving as secretary of state.
The top-secret classified data included intelligence information derived from satellites and electronic communications.
Clinton at first denied any classified information was stored on some 60,000 emails on the private server. Later she revised her stance to say that no “marked” classified information was contained in the emails.
This week the Democratic presidential contender said she was sorry for using the server. The apology followed a second U.S. government security review that uncovered additional classified data.
Clinton aides have sought to downplay the security compromises by asserting that it involves a dispute over classification between the State Department and intelligence agencies.
The FBI is investigating the compromise of top-secret information that was discovered last month in a sample of some 60,000 emails exchanged by Clinton and her aides while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.
About 30,000 emails were provided to the FBI and investigators are attempting to recover an estimated 32,000 emails that Clinton said were “personal” and unrelated to her work.
Earlier damaging intelligence breaches included the electronic theft of hundreds of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents by Army Sgt. Bradley Manning that were given to Wikileaks in 2010. Manning was convicted of espionage, theft, and fraud in July 2013 and is serving a 35-year prison term.
Months later, Snowden, who has said that he believes the NSA is conspiring to usurp American democracy through illicit electronic surveillance, used his access to top-secret documents while working as an NSA computer administrator to download an estimated 1.7 million classified documents. Those documents were provided to several journalists.
Snowden fled to Hong Kong and later Russia, where he is currently under Russian government protection. He faces prosecution from the Justice Department in America.
Thornberry declined to say which Republican presidential candidate he will support.
“There is a big field,” he said. “I am most interested in who is going to be the best commander-in-chief to clean up the mess that’s going to be left on his or her desk on day one. I don’t know who that is but that’s sure what I’m listening for.”
[h=2]Anthony Weiner Barred From Hillary Clinton Event[/h]Weiner's new boss tells him to stay away from his fundraiser
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BY: Brent Scher
September 9, 2015 5:26 pm
Anthony Weiner, the husband of one of Hillary Clinton’s top campaign aides, is not allowed to attend a campaign fundraiser being hosted by his boss, according to theNew York Post.
Weiner, who’s once-promising political career was ruined by a series of embarrassing sex scandals, was told that he could not attend a fundraiser hosted by his boss Michael Kempner, who hired Weiner last month.
Weiner “was not only not invited,” a source told the New York Post, but “was specifically told not to show up just in case he had any plans to.”
The Clinton campaign, however, has not completely kept its distance from Weiner.
Aside from the important role of Weiner’s wife Huma Abedin, who has been a trusted Clinton aide for more than a decade, Weiner’s brother was also used as a caterer for a campaign fundraiser.
The campaign is also using furniture that was given as an in-kind contribution from Weiner’s office.
Kempner is one of Clinton’s top fundraisers and runs a crisis management public relations firm in New Jersey. He put Weiner, a veteran of dealing with his own political crises, on the board of trustees of the firm in July.
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Anthony Weiner / AP
BY: Brent Scher
September 9, 2015 5:26 pm
Anthony Weiner, the husband of one of Hillary Clinton’s top campaign aides, is not allowed to attend a campaign fundraiser being hosted by his boss, according to theNew York Post.
Weiner, who’s once-promising political career was ruined by a series of embarrassing sex scandals, was told that he could not attend a fundraiser hosted by his boss Michael Kempner, who hired Weiner last month.
Weiner “was not only not invited,” a source told the New York Post, but “was specifically told not to show up just in case he had any plans to.”
The Clinton campaign, however, has not completely kept its distance from Weiner.
Aside from the important role of Weiner’s wife Huma Abedin, who has been a trusted Clinton aide for more than a decade, Weiner’s brother was also used as a caterer for a campaign fundraiser.
The campaign is also using furniture that was given as an in-kind contribution from Weiner’s office.
Kempner is one of Clinton’s top fundraisers and runs a crisis management public relations firm in New Jersey. He put Weiner, a veteran of dealing with his own political crises, on the board of trustees of the firm in July.
