By Robert Laurie ——Bio and Archives--May 25, 2016
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At this point, the Hillary Clinton email scandal is so bad that it's getting difficult to find new ways for it to get any worse. However, the State Department has managed to do so. According to the results of a newly released internal audit, Hillary basically ignored the agency's well-codified security regulations. ...And thanks to "comprehensive directives" it's clear she knew exactly what she was doing..Hillary Clinton disregarded various State Department guidelines for avoiding cybersecurity risks, an internal audit found Wednesday, faulting her and past secretaries of state for weak information management.The "and past secretaries" part of the report is being employed by the Hillary faithful to massage the seriousness of the story. "Everyone was doing it," they'll say. "You're just singling out Hillary because you hate her, and you're a sexist meanie, and you're part of the vast right-wing conspiracy." It's true that other secretaries have used personal email (Colin Powell is often name checked here) but, as the report indicates, things were different for Hillary. First of all, her abuse of private communication devices was far more extensive than that of her predecessors. More importantly though, by the time Hillary took on the job, the rules and regulations had been refined, solidified, and made crystal clear.
The inspector general's 78-page analysis, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, cites "longstanding, systemic weaknesses" related to the agency's communications. These started before Clinton's appointment as secretary of state, but her failures were singled out as more serious.
Despite guidelines to the contrary and never seeking approval, Clinton used mobile devices to conduct official business on her personal email account and private server. She never sought approval from senior information officers, who would have refused the request because of security risks, the audit said. "By Secretary Clinton's tenure, the department's guidance was considerably more detailed and more sophisticated," it concluded. "Secretary Clinton's cybersecurity practices accordingly must be evaluated in light of these more comprehensive directives."It doesn't get much clearer than that. Obviously, since this is so clear cut, one has to wonder what impact it will have on Hillary's possible indictment. There's little in the way of anything that feels like an attempt to diminish the severity of Mrs. Clinton's transgressions or exonerate her. If you read between the lines at bit, this sounds suspiciously like a department saying "go ahead and bring the charges. We won't complain."
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