Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is still trying to wriggle her way out of the mess over her use of a private email server to transmit classified government information. Now, she’s dragging Colin Powell into the muck.
The NY Times reported that Hillary Clinton told the FBI about how the former state secretary under the Bush administration advised her into using her own private email for correspondence while heading the State Department.
This was supposed to be one of the reasons the FBI, under director James B. Comey, decided not to pursue any criminal charge against the presidential nominee.
The conversation between Hillary Clinton and Colin Powell will reportedly be detailed in the book, Man of the World: The Further Endeavors of Bill Clinton , written by Joe Conason.
. @HillaryClinton blames Colin Powell for her use of private Email, Powell fires back https://t.co/xacy3Q9qcA
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) August 19, 2016
The conversation occurred when the former First Lady was still fresh from her position as the country’s state secretary. She was invited to a party hosted by Madeleine Albright for the powers-that-be, which also included Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and Henry Kissinger.
It was supposedly then when Colin Powell advised Hillary Clinton to use her own private email “except for classified communications.”
Meanwhile, the office of Colin Powell released a statement that essentially blew holes into Hillary Clinton’s version of events. While he did admit that he used his private email, he did so using a secure State Department computer at his desk. He also did not recall the conversation he had with the former First Lady.
Collin powell’s office respond to Hillary Clinton https://t.co/ntFJ8rGIcy
— Green Poone (@GreenPoone) August 19, 2016
Apart from being investigated by the FBI, the Democratic presidential nominee is also facing a public records lawsuit, spearheaded by Judicial Watch.
On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan has ordered Hillary Clinton to answer the questions by the legal advocacy group in relation to the email scandal. In exchange, the judge agreed not to depose the former First Lady.
In a report from Daily Mail , the group was given until October 14 to formulate its questions. But it may prove to be a small victory for the presidential nominee as well, considering that she was given a month to reply.
That means she can wait until after the November 8 presidential elections to comply with the order.
“We will move quickly to get these answers. The decision is a reminder that Hillary Clinton is not above the law,” Tom Fitton, Judicial Watch president, said.
According to the ruling, the State Department should also release by Sept. 30 Hillary Clinton’s emails that were investigated by the FBI.
But Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post said that Hillary Clinton’s excuse just wouldn’t fly, even if it does prove her claim that she was just following standard practices in the organization.
However, the article pointed out that Colin Powell did not use his private email for documents or correspondence that might be classified. Hillary Clinton did not do this. Another error that she made was using a private email server in her own house.
Also, the rules about protecting information have changed considerably from the time Colin Powell stepped down from office to Hillary Clinton assuming the position as State Secretary. Taking the former’s advice showed just how clueless she is regarding the new guidelines.
The new guidelines are there for a reason: hacking has become more sophisticated and a breach in protocols regarding the protection of classified information could have dire consequences.
So now the private server was Collin Powell’s idea. And voters trust this woman? https://t.co/gUCq97iSNF
— Paula Pennypacker (@PPennypacker) August 20, 2016
The columnist argued that Hillary Clinton blaming Colin Powell for the mess that she’s in only proves that “she doesn’t get it.”
“For whatever reason — and despite the fact that Clinton has said on several occasions that she knows she made a mistake — she seems incapable of accepting that responsibility and moving on,” he wrote. “No secretary of state — up to and including Colin Powell — handled their email setup like Clinton. That’s a fact.”
[Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images]