As Dems Investigate Trump, State Dept Hits 130 Hillary-Connected Officials with Security Violation Warning
For Republicans, the Hillary Clinton email scandal is a political gift that keeps on giving.
For Democrats, however, it’s an ongoing headache that shows no signs of subsiding years after the scandal first emerged.
Clinton’s use of an unsecured, private email server during her time as secretary of state was a hot-button issue during the 2016 election and played an undeniable role in her defeat.
Now, the issue is roaring back into the headlines. Over a hundred bureaucrats who have connections to the email scandal have been warned about security violations by investigators, in a move that could end up “draining the swamp” in Washington at an important time.
According to The Washington Post, some 130 government officials from the Obama era have now been contacted after it was discovered that they sent messages — some were sensitive or classified — to the infamous unsecured Clinton server.
“Those targeted were notified that emails they sent years ago have been retroactively classified and now constitute potential security violations,” The Washington Post reported.
“In virtually all of the cases, potentially sensitive information, now recategorized as ‘classified,’ was sent to Clinton’s unsecure inbox.”
It isn’t clear exactly what will happen to the bureaucrats. Some are no longer with the State Department, but some may still be working for the government in Washington.
This has led to speculation that the Trump administration may be trying to “purge” potential opponents from the ranks, an accusation that the administration has flatly denied.
“The process is set up in a manner to completely avoid any appearance of political bias,” an unnamed State Department official told The Post.
Still, one former official — again unnamed by The Post — told the paper that the official warnings were “a way to tarnish a whole bunch of Democratic foreign policy people” and potentially force them out of government positions.
And some observers suggested that the renewed pressure on Clinton’s associates could be a way for the Trump administration to dig up dirt against “higher-ups” who may still be within the government.
“(T)he smaller fish in the State Department are learning of their own culpability in corresponding with her on a private server,” American Thinker columnist Thomas Lifson noted.
“Just the kind of leverage a determined prosecutor could use to obtain plea deals implicating higher ups. Ask General Flynn or Paul Manafort what that sort of pressure could mean.”
But regardless of whether the renewed investigations into the email scandal are part of a routine push or a specific tactic being carried out by the Trump administration, they may have an important effect: Reminding the American people of Democrat corruption right as the 2020 election season heats up.
Indeed, a handful of Trump allies are currently under scrutiny for what liberals are calling corruption. Figures including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani are facing questions about the handling of the Ukraine situation, all while House Democrats pursue half-baked impeachment proceedings.
By bringing the Clinton email issue back into the light, the current administration seems to be providing a strong contrast between the scandals. The scale of abuses from the last president’s cabinet, with hundreds of people implicated, is an important context that may make the Ukraine issue seem minor in comparison.
It remains to be seen whether that is part of a purposeful move by President Donald Trump, but it wouldn’t be the first time he out-maneuvered Democrats and stayed standing while critics on the left fell flat.
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