Hillary Clinton “Pardoned,” the Double Standard that Protects and Hurts Political Elites

Hillary Clinton, during her time as US Secretary of State, used her personal email servers to send eight email chains, which contained Top Secret information, 36 email chains, which contained Secret information, and 8 email chains, which contained Confidential information.  She also sent 2,000 additional emails, which contained sensitive information that was later “up-classified” to Confidential, according to the FBI’s investigation into Secretary Clinton’s use of her unsecured personal email servers.
​
On April 5, 2012, whistleblower and former-CIA Agent John Kiriakou, who confirmed in December 2007 the US was using water boarding to torture terrorist suspects, was indicted on one count of violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, three counts of violating the Espionage Act, and one count of making false statements to the Publications Review Board of the CIA. On October 22, 2012, Kiriakou pleaded guilty to disclosing classified information that connected a fellow CIA officer to a specific operation and received 30-months in the Loretto, Pennsylvania Federal correctional facility.

 Remarking on the investigation and the FBI’s recommendation that Clinton not face prosecution, FBI Director James Comey concluded:  

1.  “Although we did not find clear evidence that Secretary Clinton or her colleagues intended to violate laws governing the handling of classified information, there is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information.” 

2.  “There is evidence to support a conclusion that any reasonable person in Secretary Clinton’s position, or in the position of those government employees with whom she was corresponding about these matters, should have known that an unclassified system was no place for that conversation.”

Where John Kiriakou was targeted for revealing widespread abuse of power, corruption, criminal acts committed by national security officials, crimes against humanity committed by CIA operatives, and national security overreach, Clinton was reluctantly investigated under political pressure.   Where Kiriakou mistakenly identified a CIA operative, who may have been endangered, Hillary willfully ignored national security concerns. Where Kiriakou was a junior officer, Clinton was the head of the State Department.  Where Kiriakou was doing his country a service, Hillary chose to ignore sensible security protocols out of ease and self-righteous entitlement.   
​
Kiriakou was targeted for embarrassing the CIA.  Sadly, he is but one example of a massive double standard THAT protects the connected and allows the legal system to be used a means to punish those who threaten the powerful.  Quite frankly, the uneven application of the Espionage Act in violation of Kiriakou’s right to Equal Protection under the Fourteen Amendment for a simple mistake is unconstitutional.  The failure to even prosecute Hillary Clinton and many others, who have freely leaked sensitive information, ensures corruption will continue to be a problem in the United States.  Hillary Clinton, even if unintentionally, repeatedly committed a crime; she must face justice as much all other political elites. 
 
On the political front, Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s decision to not prosecute Hillary diffuses the legal issues she would have faced in the November election.  On the other hand, it underscores the reason many see Hillary’s candidacy in such a negative light.   Hillary Clinton could not be any more of a Washington insider. She is so deeply entrenched in the political establishment that the political world long believed she was fated to become the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee. From the perspective of voters, this translates into an apparent sense of entitlement.  
 
Controversy over Hillary Clinton’s use of personal emails during her tenure at the State Department exemplifies her apparent sense of elitist entitlement. Not only does she appear to believe the rules do apply to her, she leaves voters feeling as though they have to choose her, because she is entitled to become president. No public position is an entitlement.  Positions of powers are responsibilities, which Hillary has demonstrated she is not unwilling to accept.  It is the job of a candidate to convince voters that the candidate is the best possible choice.  As such, Hillary may not face a legal battle, but this latest turn of events could end up hurting Clinton’s political outlook.