Saturday, March 5, 2016

HILLARY NOT PLAYING BY THE RULES CREATES MISTRUST

Hillary is remiss in thinking that she is above playing by the rules. There's a reason government officials are required to use secured lines of communication when conducting the "people's" business. Most of it relates to security and accountability, both of which Hillary breached when she decided to use personal; rather than government issued phones.

WASHINGTON — We've learned a lot about Hillary Clinton during the last year as the State Department gradually released tens of thousands of her emails.

We learned whom she emailed with and caught a glimpse of her insecurities. And we learned that her computer system wasn't as secure as she'd hoped and why some think it's possible she shared classified information.

Now, with the 14th and final batch of emails released this week, here are six things we've learned.

Clinton used more than one device

After news broke about her personal email account, Clinton said she'd used one only as a matter of convenience so she would not have to carry two devices. "I thought it would be easier to carry just one device for my work and for my personal emails instead of two," she said last March.

But her emails show she did have two devices — a BlackBerry and an iPad that she received in June 2010. On June 25 of that year, Clinton aide Philippe Reines sent her an email announcing the arrival of what he called her hPad. "That is exciting news — do you think you can teach me to use it on the flight to Kyev next week?" Clinton replied.

Clinton's aides have explained that she meant that she did not want to carry two phones.

Clinton is concerned about her image and getting credit

Clinton cared about her reputation and her aides knew it. They warned her of potentially damaging reports, devised strategies to fight unflattering portrayals and complimented her after successful media appearances.

In an email from October 2009, Reines called Clinton's photo on the cover of Parade magazine a "home run." In October 2011, Clinton asked Reines to correct factual errors in a Washington Post article on her role in the Libya conflict.

Emails show she was concerned about getting credit and crafting a public persona that might serve her well beyond her current role.

In an email on May 14, 2012, after aide Jake Sullivan recommends that Clinton read an article about the administration's policy in Asia that credited Obama with announcing a so-called pivot to Asia, Clinton asked Sullivan, "Remind — didn't we, not the WH, first use the 'pivot'?"

Many people knew Clinton used a private email account

Many people said they were surprised when it was revealed that Clinton relied on a private account to conduct official business. But the emails show that influential people in Washington and around the globe not only knew she used the account but also corresponded with her on it.

Dozens upon dozens of people — including lobbyists, lawmakers, White House officials and State Department employees — communicated directly with Clinton using her personal email address. The list even includes her successor, John Kerry, and her boss, President Barack Obama.

Clinton email system's security was flawed

Hackers with ties to Russia tried at least five times to access Clinton's account over four hours early on the morning of Aug. 3, 2011, by sending her emails of fake speeding tickets from New York.

It's unclear whether she clicked on the attachments, allowing hackers to take control of her computer, though her campaign has said there is no evidence to suggest she opened them.

The emails show hackers had Clinton's personal email address and knew enough to send her a fake ticket from New York, where she lives.

It wasn't the only problem with her system. In November 2012, Clinton laments in a couple of emails that she has lost Internet and BlackBerry service because of Hurricane Sandy.

The relationship between Clinton and Blumenthal

Clinton exchanged 616 emails with Sidney Blumenthal, a longtime friend who had been a senior adviser for her husband, former President Bill Clinton. The Obama White House said Clinton could not hire Blumenthal at the State Department.

In response to a question last spring, Clinton said Blumenthal's frequent communications had been "unsolicited."

But the emails show Clinton asked Blumenthal for advice on diplomacy and messaging. She often responded to his memos positively, sometimes forwarding them to aides with instructions to "pls print." One time, she wrote back to him. "Another keeper."

She even passed along his advice, without using his name, to White House officials about how Obama could use an impending natural disaster to his advantage in his campaign for re-election.

Clinton was aware of the possibility of sending classified email

None of Clinton's emails was marked as classified during her tenure, State Department officials say, but intelligence officials say some material was clearly classified at the time. Emails show Clinton knew there was a possibility that classified material might have existed on the system.

On Feb. 10, 2010, after Sullivan told Clinton he couldn't send something she wanted because it was on a classified system, she responded, "It's a public statement! Just email it." On June 17, 2011, Clinton told Sullivan that if there were a continued problem sending a set of talking points over secure fax to "turn it into nonpaper w no identifying heading and send nonsecure."

On April 25, 2012, Clinton raised the possibility that a message she'd received may have contained classified information. "If it's not classified or otherwise inappropriate can you send to the NYTimes reporters?" she wrote to Sullivan.

At least 2,079 emails that she sent or received contained classified material. The FBI is investigating.

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