As the Trump indictment drama continues to unfold, it's clear that there is no shortage of "experts" willing to chime in with their own hot takes. Everyone wants a piece of Trump, and a felony indictment for the mishandling of classified documents seems too much to pass up.
Still, there are some people who under no circumstances whatsoever should pipe up when the topic is mismanaging sensitive information. Exhibit A:
In fairness to Mrs. Clinton, there are a few things that she says here that are correct. The innocence or guilt of Donald Trump is completely independent of anything she may or may not have done wrong herself. When she says, "this is on a track about him, not about anybody else," that is, for the most part, true. I say for the most part, because I do think there is justifiable scrutiny that can be placed on those who have chosen to pursue these charges against an ex-president, and the de facto leader of the opposition party.
But when it comes to determining his guilt or innocence regarding the alleged crimes, that should have nothing to do with Hillary Clinton.
What defies explanation, however, is why Hillary Clinton would want to get near this issue with a ten-foot pole. Undoubtedly giddy about the prospect of seeing Trump convicted and behind bars, particularly after the "lock her up" chant was a mainstay at his 2016 rallies, let's not forget that this is a woman who was callously and flagrantly irresponsible with classified information to a degree that had never been seen before… or since.
Grabien founder Tom Elliott laid Hillary's crimes out nicely:
- Installed a server to sidestep record-keeping laws
- Illegally retained 1,000s of classified materials
- Removed classified markings
- People without security clearance managed her server
- Server security was so bad, it predictably got hacked
- Destroyed 33,000 subpoenaed emails
- Physically destroyed phones/servers
- Obama DoJ & FBI colluded, per Lisa Page, to give her a get-out-of-jail-free card
- FBI agreed to destroy her aides' laptops with incriminating evidence
Whatever crime Donald Trump may have committed, it bears remembering that Hillary's crimes were tenfold. Again, Hillary being a bigger criminal doesn't mean that Trump isn't one. The fact that she deserved a felony conviction and didn't get one doesn't mean that Trump doesn't deserve one himself. That's not the issue.
The issue is the jaw-dropping hubris of someone who should be in prison but isn't, thanks to one man's unlikely magnanimity – Donald J. Trump. Remember, it was shortly before his inauguration in 2017 that Trump effectively ended the "lock her up" movement, and assured that his chief political opponent would not become the target of his Justice Department or a special prosecutor. The BBC reported at the time:
Senior Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway told MSNBC that "when the president-elect... tells you before he's even inaugurated he doesn't wish to pursue these charges, it sends a very strong message - tone and content".
This was what prompted rival Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to tell CNN recently that for the peace, security, and good of the country, Joe Biden should have had the character to do with Trump what Trump did with Hillary. Of course, those who have paid any attention to Joe Biden's political career cannot be surprised he lacks such class.
So yes, Trump will answer the charges, but as someone who has escaped the hand of justice more times than any political figure in recent memory, Hillary Clinton really needs to just sit this one out.
