Former officials question Clinton's email defense

Former officials question Clinton's email defense

While sympathetic to the messy nature of the classification system, fellow diplomats and specialists say Clinton could have bore responsibility to flag sensitive material.

By Bryan Bender

8/20/15 1:43 PM EDT

Updated 8/20/15 10:05 PM EDT

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/hillary-clinton-email-defense-questioned-diplomats-121564.html

Hillary Clinton’s campaign this week stepped up its defense of the Democratic front-runner’s use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state, arguing on Wednesday that Clinton, in the worst-case scenario, was simply a “passive recipient of unwitting information that subsequently became deemed as classified.”

But those with deep expertise in the classification system say it’s not so simple.

While emphasizing that Clinton’s defense cannot be judged until the content of the messages are fully analyzed, fellow diplomats and other specialists said on Thursday that if any emails were blatantly of a sensitive nature, she could have been expected to flag it.

“She might have had some responsibility to blow the whistle,” said former Ambassador Thomas Pickering, who served under the former secretary of state and oversaw a department review of the deadly attack in 2012 on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, a subject of some of the most scrutinized of Clinton’s emails.

Libya

Laurence Pope is the U.S. charge d'affaires for Libya, and Anthony C. Zinni was his political adviser.

Note: Anthony C. Zinni was Laurence Pope’s political adviser, a trustee at the National Constitution Center, and a director at the National Constitution Center, a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and is a friend of James L. Jones Jr.

William J. Clinton was a chairman for the National Constitution Center, is an adviser for the 2016 Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential campaign, and the founder of the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

Huma Abedin is the vice chairman for the 2016 Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential campaign, Hillary Rodham Clinton’s aide, was a consultant for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, and a senior adviser to secretary for the U.S. Department of State.  

Hillary Rodham Clinton is the candidate for the 2016 Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential campaign, was a director at the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, and the secretary at the U.S. Department of State for the Barack Obama administration.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, and the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, and a co-chair, national finance council for the Ready PAC (Ready For Hillary).

Ready PAC (Ready For Hillary) supported the 2016 Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential campaign.

James L. Jones Jr. is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), a friend of Anthony C. Zinni, was a national security adviser for the Barack Obama administration, and a special envoy for Middle East Security for the U.S. Department of State.

Condoleezza Rice is an honorary director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), was a secretary for the U.S. Department of State, Muammar Abu Minyar Al-Qadhafi said he loved her & kept scrapbook of her photos, and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).

Muammar Abu Minyar Al-Qadhafi said he loved Condoleezza Rice & kept scrapbook of her photos, and was the leader of Libya.

J. Christopher Stevens was the U.S. ambassador for Libya, and killed in the 2012 attack on U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Thomas R. Pickering was the chairman of review board that investigated the 2012 attack on U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya in 2013, the undersecretary for the U.S. Department of State, and is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, and a co-chair, national finance council for the Ready PAC (Ready For Hillary).

Ready PAC (Ready For Hillary) supported the 2016 Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential campaign.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is the candidate for the 2016 Hillary Rodham Clinton presidential campaign, was a director at the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, and the secretary at the U.S. Department of State for the Barack Obama administration.