Maintaining Pressure on Hillary

by Stephen Lendman

If anointed to succeed Obama, pressure on Hillary's wrongdoing won't end. Likely Republican-controlled House committees will target her relentlessly. So will Senate ones if the GOP maintains control.

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform chairman Jason Chaffetz (R. UT) called probing Hillary's public and private record "a target-rich environment."

"Even before we get to day one, we've got two years worth of material already lined up," he said. "She has four years of history at the State Department, and it ain't good" - plus lots relating to Clinton Foundation shenanigans.

According to Speaker Paul Ryan, (t)he rigorous oversight conducted by House Republicans has already brought to light troubling developments in the Clinton email scandal. The speaker supports Oversight's investigative efforts following where the evidence leads, especially where it shows the need for changes in the law."

If successful over Trump next week, as seems likely, she'll enter office with two-thirds of voters calling her dishonest and untrustworthy. Multiple FBI investigations suggest serious wrongdoing, even if it's doubtful she'll be charged and prosecuted.

She's irreparably tainted before likely succeeding Obama in January. Her deplorable reputation will dog her throughout her tenure.

Former State Department official Steve Pieczenik said US intelligence officials turned whistleblowers - concerned about her succeeding Obama, they gave WikiLeaks thousands of her emails now released daily. 

Russia had nothing to do with hacking them, a diversionary tactic by Hillary and her campaign claiming otherwise,  changing the subject, bashing Russia to conceal her criminal wrongdoing.

The conservative American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) sued Attorney General Loretta Lynch for meeting privately with Bill Clinton at Phoenix's Sky Harbor airport in late June 2016 - days before the FBI interrogated Hillary as part of its criminal investigation into her wrongdoing.

Its lawsuit demands full disclosure of records, communications and names of DOJ personnel relating to the meeting.

In its filing, ACLJ said defendant DOJ "wholly failed to respond to Plaintiff's FOIA request," violating US statute law. "Defendant is unlawfully withholding records requested by Plaintiff pursuant to 5 USC § 552."

Attorney General Lynch "disqualified herself from this critical investigation…We will do…everything we can to hold her accountable."

On November 3, Judicial Watch (JW) "filed a motion to compel…Hillary Clinton to answer three interrogatory questions under oath, submitted by (JW) under a court order issued by US District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan on August 19, 2016."

Hillary's so-called failure to recall responses to 20 questions asked under oath suggests obstruction of justice.

According to JW, her stonewalling is unjustifiable - "(p)ursuant to Rule 33 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure." She failed to provide credible reasons for refusing to answer. Questions JW demands answers to are:

Interrogatory question 1: "Describe the creation of the clintonemail.com system, including who decided to create the system, the date it was decided to create the system, why it was created, who set it up, and when it became operational."

Interrogatory question 14: "On March 6, 2009, Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Eric J. Boswell wrote in an Information Memo to your Chief of Staff, Cheryl Mills, that he 'cannot stress too strongly, however, that any unclassified BlackBerry is highly vulnerable in any setting to remotely and covertly monitoring conversations, retrieving email, and exploiting calendars.' " 

"A March 11, 2009 email states that, in a management meeting with the assistant secretaries, you approached Assistant Secretary Boswell and mentioned that you had read the 'IM' and that you 'get it.' " 

"Did you review the March 6, 2009 Information Memo, and, if so, why did you continue using an unclassified BlackBerry to access your clintonemail.com email account to conduct official State Department business?"

Interrogatory question 24: "During your October 22, 2015 appearance before the US House of Representatives Select Committee on Benghazi, you testified that 90 to 95 percent of your emails 'were in the State's system' and 'if they wanted to see them, they would certainly have been able to do so.' "  

"Identify the basis for this statement, including all facts on which you relied in support of the statement, how and when you became aware of these facts, and, if you were made aware of these facts by or through another person, identify the person who made you aware of these facts."

JW president Tom Fitton said "(b)y refusing to answer our simple questions, Hillary Clinton is obstructing our efforts to get basic information about her email practices."

"Because she has not - and cannot - demonstrate that her refusal to answer our questions is proper, Hillary Clinton should be required by the court to answer them promptly."

Her likely ascension to power suggests lots political turbulence throughout her tenure. "The work of government would grind to a halt if she were ever elected," said Trump.

If indicted, though highly unlikely, she could pardon herself, a presidential prerogative. Impeachment is another matter, but could it work?

No US president was ever removed from office by this or other judicial means. John Adams said it would take a national convulsion for a Senate trial and conviction. 

Whatever the outcome on November 8, perhaps the most chaotic time in US history will follow.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

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