The Beast may be in the FBI's hot seat today

[Sean]

Yeah. In the same way I can assume a 17-year-old male buying a pack of condoms the day before the prom isn't doing so in anticipation of a water balloon fight the night of.

So I assume you think Condi Rice and Colin Powell could "control and, if necessary, alter or delete any information that would prove embarrassing" to them?

 

[Colonel Hogan]

So I assume you think Condi Rice and Colin Powell could "control and, if necessary, alter or delete any information that would prove embarrassing" to them?

The following is from the Department of State Inspector General's Report dated May, 2016. See if you can discern the difference between the actions of Powell, Rice, and Clinton and the record keeping laws governing each one of them at the time they served as Secretary of State.

Citing its responsibilities under the Federal Records Act, the department sent letters in October and November 2014 to the representatives of former Secretaries Albright, Powell, Rice, and Clinton requesting that they make available copies of any Federal records in their possession, such as emails sent or received on a personal email account while serving as Secretary of State. In response, Secretary Albright’s representative advised that Secretary Albright did not use a Department or personal email account during her tenure, and Secretary Rice’s representative advised that Secretary Rice did not use a personal email account to conduct official business.10 Representatives for Secretaries Powell and Clinton acknowledged that the Secretaries used personal email accounts to conduct official business.

Secretary Powell has publicly stated that, during his tenure as Secretary, he “installed a laptop computer on a private line” and that he used the laptop to send emails via his personal email account to his “principal assistants, individual ambassadors, and foreign minister colleagues.”11 Secretary Powell's representative advised the Department in 2015 that he did not retain those emails or make printed copies.12 Secretary Powell has also publicly stated that he generally sent emails to his staff via their State Department email addresses but that he personally does not know whether the Department captured those emails on its servers.13

Secretary Clinton employed a personal email system to conduct business during her tenure in the United States Senate and her 2008 Presidential campaign. She continued to use personal email throughout her term as Secretary, relying on an account maintained on a private server, predominantly through mobile devices. Throughout Secretary Clinton’s tenure, the server was located in her New York residence.14

https://oig.state.gov/system/files/esp-16-03.pdf

While both Clinton and Powell utilized personal email systems for official government business, Powell used a public AOL account whereas Clinton used a private server located in her residence. Clinton obviously had physical access to the electronic data on the server being used whereas Powell did not. That pretty much eliminates his ability to "alter or delete" embarrassing information if a copy of it resides in someone else's hands, don'tcha think?

Also, contained in the OIG report is a 2004 memo which "reminds departing officials to incorporate all record material into the Department 's files and not to remove any documentary materials - personal or official, written or lectronic-until such materials have been reviewed by records and security officers." As the report subsequently noted, both Powell and Clinton failed in this regard. But there's more.

Clinton had one tool and one mandate Powell did not.

In 2009, IRM introduced SMART throughout the Department, enabling employees to preserve a record copy of emails through their Department email accounts without having to print and file them.32 However, the Office of the Secretary elected not to use SMART to preserve emails, in part because of concerns that the system would allow overly broad access to sensitive materials. (emphasis added ) As a result, printing and filing remained the only method by which emails could properly be preserved within the Office of the Secretary in full compliance with existing FAM guidance.

*****************

In 2009, NARA amended its regulations explicitly to address official emails on personal accounts: Agencies that allow employees to send and receive official electronic mail messages using a system not operated by the agency must ensure that Federal records sent or received on such systems are preserved in the appropriate agency recordkeeping system.36

In conclusion, the OIG report contrasted Powell and Clinton's handling of emails thusly:

Secretary Powell:
Various DS and IRM staff told OIG that, before Secretary Powell arrived at the Department, employees did not have Internet connectivity on their desktop computers. The Department’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Under Secretary for Management during Secretary Powell’s tenure reported to OIG that they were aware of Secretary Powell’s use of a personal email account and also noted the Secretary’s goal was to provide every Department employee with similar Internet and email capabilities at their desktops. The current CIO and Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security, who were Department employees during Secretary Powell’s tenure, also were both aware of the Secretary’s use of a personal email account and recall numerous discussions with senior staff throughout the Department about how to implement the Secretary’s intent to provide all employees with Internet connectivity.

However, it is not clear whether staff explicitly addressed restrictions on the use of non-Departmental systems with Secretary Powell. For example, at the beginning of Secretary Powell’s tenure, the Department had an outright prohibition on both the installation of privately owned computers in Department facilities and the transmission of SBU information on the Internet.145 By 2002, the Department had established the requirement to connect to the Internet only on OpenNet.146 The CIO and Under Secretary for Management during Secretary’s Powell’s tenure reported to OIG that they believe that these issues were addressed, either by installing a firewall to protect the Secretary’s Internet connection or providing the Secretary with a Department laptop. They also reported having multiple discussions with Secretary Powell about the Department’s implementation of FISMA requirements. In contrast, current DS and IRM officials who worked at the Department during Secretary Powell’s tenure are unsure about the exact configuration of Secretary Powell’s systems and whether staff addressed applicable restrictions with the Secretary. However, they reported to OIG that the Department’s technology and information security policies were very fluid during Secretary Powell’s tenure and that the Department was not aware at the time of the magnitude of the security risks associated with information technology.

Secretary Clinton:
By Secretary Clinton’s tenure, the Department’s guidance was considerably more detailed and more sophisticated. Beginning in late 2005 and continuing through 2011, the Department revised the FAM and issued various memoranda specifically discussing the obligation to use Department systems in most circumstances and identifying the risks of not doing so. Secretary Clinton’s cybersecurity practices accordingly must be evaluated in light of these more comprehensive directives.

Secretary Clinton used mobile devices to conduct official business using the personal email account on her private server extensively, as illustrated by the 55,000 pages of material making up the approximately 30,000 emails she provided to the Department in December 2014. Throughout Secretary Clinton’s tenure, the FAM stated that normal day-to-day operations should be conducted on an authorized AIS, 147 yet OIG found no evidence that the Secretary requested or obtained guidance or approval to conduct official business via a personal email account on her private server. According to the current CIO and Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security, Secretary Clinton had an obligation to discuss using her personal email account to conduct official business with their offices, who in turn would have attempted to provide her with approved and secured means that met her business needs. However, according to these officials, DS and IRM did not—and would not—approve her exclusive reliance on a personal email account to conduct Department business, because of the restrictions in the FAM and the security risks in doing so.

During Secretary Clinton’s tenure, the FAM also instructed employees that they were expected to use approved, secure methods to transmit SBU information and that, if they needed to transmit SBU information outside the Department’s OpenNet network on a regular basis to non-Departmental addresses, they should request a solution from IRM.148 However, OIG found no evidence that Secretary Clinton ever contacted IRM to request such a solution, despite the fact that emails exchanged on her personal account regularly contained information marked as SBU.

Similarly, the FAM contained provisions requiring employees who process SBU information on their own devices to ensure that appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards are maintained to protect the confidentiality and integrity of records and to ensure encryption of SBU information with products certified by NIST.149 With regard to encryption, Secretary Clinton’s website states that “robust protections were put in place and additional upgrades and techniques employed over time as they became available, including consulting and employing third party experts.”150 Although this report does not address the safety or security of her system, DS and IRM reported to OIG that Secretary Clinton never demonstrated to them that her private server or mobile device met minimum information security requirements specified by FISMA and the FAM.

In addition to interviewing current and former officials in DS and IRM, OIG interviewed other senior Department officials with relevant knowledge who served under Secretary Clinton, including the Under Secretary for Management, who supervises both DS and IRM; current and former Executive Secretaries; and attorneys within the Office of the Legal Adviser. These officials all stated that they were not asked to approve or otherwise review the use of Secretary Clinton’s server and that they had no knowledge of approval or review by other Department staff. These officials also stated that they were unaware of the scope or extent of Secretary Clinton’s use of a personal email account, though many of them sent emails to the Secretary on this account. Secretary Clinton’s Chief of Staff also testified before the House Select Committee on Benghazi that she was unaware of anyone being consulted about the Secretary’s exclusive use of a personal email address.151 OIG did find evidence that various staff and senior officials throughout the Department had discussions related to the Secretary’s use of non-Departmental systems, suggesting there was some awareness of Secretary Clinton’s practices.

And then, of course, there is this now famous blatant lie:

Two staff in S/ES-IRM reported to OIG that, in late 2010, they each discussed their concerns about Secretary Clinton’s use of a personal email account in separate meetings with the then-Director of S/ES-IRM. In one meeting, one staff member raised concerns that information sent and received on Secretary Clinton’s account could contain Federal records that needed to be preserved in order to satisfy Federal recordkeeping requirements. According to the staff member, the Director stated that the Secretary’s personal system had been reviewed and approved by Department legal staff and that the matter was not to be discussed any further. As previously noted, OIG found no evidence that staff in the Office of the Legal Adviser reviewed or approved Secretary Clinton’s personal system. According to the other S/ES-IRM staff member who raised concerns about the server, the Director stated that the mission of S/ES-IRM is to support the Secretary and instructed the staff never to speak of the Secretary’s personal email system again.

This is not Breitbart, TownHall or Fox News speaking. This is the State Department's Office of Inspector General. If it doesn't adequately describe the glaring differences in behavior between Colin Powell and Hillary Clinton with respect to their adherence to State Department policy concerning private email accounts, then you are simply not paying the fuck attention.

 

[akatrex]

The FIX is IN !

http://media2.abc15.com/photo/2016/06/29/16x9/Loretta_Lynch_and_Bill_Clinton_meet_in_P_0_41315067_ver1.0_640_480.jpg

 

[RoryN]

I am a racist fuckwit.

We know.

 

[Colonel Hogan]

The FIX is IN !

http://media2.abc15.com/photo/2016/06/29/16x9/Loretta_Lynch_and_Bill_Clinton_meet_in_P_0_41315067_ver1.0_640_480.jpg

The Oxford English Unabridged Dictionary defines "clueless" as:

"I certainly wouldn't do it again," Lynch said during an interview at Colorado's Aspen Ideas Festival. "Because I think it has cast a shadow over what it should not - over what it will not touch."

"The most important thing for me as the attorney general is the integrity of this Department of Justice," the attorney general said. "And the fact that the meeting that I had is now casting a shadow over how people are gonna view that work is something I take deeply, and seriously, and painfully."

 

[miles]

subterfuge is the only logical conclusion.

the fact that the gent who set it up for her refused to testify only bolsters this assertion.

if michael moore had made a movie about it, she'd already have dropped out of the race.

Do innocent people ever take the fifth?

 

[miles]

So I assume you think Condi Rice and Colin Powell could "control and, if necessary, alter or delete any information that would prove embarrassing" to them?

DING!

 

[about_average]

While both Clinton and Powell utilized personal email systems for official government business, Powell used a public AOL account whereas Clinton used a private server located in her residence. Clinton obviously had physical access to the electronic data on the server being used whereas Powell did not. That pretty much eliminates his ability to "alter or delete" embarrassing information if a copy of it resides in someone else's hands, don'tcha think?

When Powell was Sec of State it's unlikely that AOL retained deleted emails for very long. But even if they did, I'm doubtful Powell would have known that and the "delete" key would certainly be intent.

That said, even if she didn't actually commit a crime, having a private server shows extremely poor judgement on her part.

On the other hand, I find it extremely difficult to believe that no republicans ever saw her email address before the Benghazi attacks.

 

[Christobal]

Like it or not Hillary is a lawer. I doubt she gave anything up. She knows what to do.

To the best of my memory

I don't recall

Maybe a subordinate did it but I didn't approve it

I have no knowledge of that

Cleverly worded phrases that allow wiggle room if anything new come to light.

Those lines are now the fabric of Washington. All players.

 

[miles]

At this point I don't think she's capable of telling the truth. Yesterday she doubled down on her Big Lie by calling the FBI investigation a "review" and claiming she did nothing wrong, both of which are demonstrably false. It's her story and she's going to stick with it. Regardless of what happens her supporters will blindly back her until the very end.

 

[KoalaDerp]

At this point I don't think she's capable of telling the truth. Yesterday she doubled down on her Big Lie by calling the FBI investigation a "review" and claiming she did nothing wrong, both of which are demonstrably false. It's her story and she's going to stick with it. Regardless of what happens her supporters will blindly back her until the very end.

Derp!

 

[L1tTleD1fferent]

Title needs changed.

"The Beast" is Palin!

 

[Conager]

Derp!

Bold move, Bobs. Are you going to resurrect the entire family of interconnected "Derp" alts that are tied only to you and your squabbles contemporaneou to when you created them?

Did you forget that it was the "Derpmael" alt that I busted you on?

I've noticed you prefer to try out your little fuck-fuck games in Miles threads because most people have him on ignore. That part is probably smart. Your voice always comes through. Creativity has never been your strong suit.

 

[miles]

Bold move, Bobs. Are you going to resurrect the entire family of interconnected "Derp" alts that are tied only to you and your squabbles contemporaneou to when you created them?

Did you forget that it was the "Derpmael" alt that I busted you on?

I've noticed you prefer to try out your little fuck-fuck games in Miles threads because most people have him on ignore. That part is probably smart. Your voice always comes through. Creativity has never been your strong suit.

This from a guy who has started eight threads in two years.

Most people, huh? Were you recently promoted to Lit statistician?

 

[Knot Again]

When Powell was Sec of State it's unlikely that AOL retained deleted emails for very long. But even if they did, I'm doubtful Powell would have known that and the "delete" key would certainly be intent.

That said, even if she didn't actually commit a crime, having a private server shows extremely poor judgement on her part.

On the other hand, I find it extremely difficult to believe that no republicans ever saw her email address before the Benghazi attacks.

Not about Powell, is it?

 

[L1tTleD1fferent]

Not about Powell, is it?

About whoever poster wants!

 

[Mello_SixtyNine]

Judge Napolitano on Lynch announcement: Very bad news for Clinton. [youtube]

 

[Mello_SixtyNine]

So, based on the fact that she had a private email server, you believe that you can attribute motive and state of mind. Got it.

Motive doesn't matter in this case. Hillary can be convicted by her gross negligence. here are some youtube clips of Judge Andrew Napolitano explaining it.

 

[RoryN]

Judge Napolitano on Lynch announcement: Very bad news for Clinton. [youtube]

She wins in November.

Yes, or no?

 

[KoalaDerp]

Bold move, Bobs. Are you going to resurrect the entire family of interconnected "Derp" alts that are tied only to you and your squabbles contemporaneou to when you created them?

Did you forget that it was the "Derpmael" alt that I busted you on?

I've noticed you prefer to try out your little fuck-fuck games in Miles threads because most people have him on ignore. That part is probably smart. Your voice always comes through. Creativity has never been your strong suit.

Que's alt says derp!