Another Chance

for justice…or another pass for Hillary?

Hillary Clinton’s email problems may have been dropped from the main headlines but they have not gone away.

The next speed bump on her apparent journey to Presidential coronation comes tomorrow when she will have to explain to the court why she shouldn’t have to testify under oath in the FOIA (Freedom of Information) lawsuit brought by the Judicial Watch organization.

The group was granted the right to question several of Hillary Clinton’s closest aides in the State Department by U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan in February of 2016. Chief of Staff, Cheryl Mills has already testified, and IT technician Bryan Pagliano invoked his Fifth Amendment right despite having been granted immunity.

At issue now is the testimony of Huma Abedin, the long time Clinton aide who apparently collected income from the State Department as Deputy Chief of Staff as well as being granted a special status where she could earn additional income as a senior advisor. She proceeded to work for Teneo, a Clinton affiliated consulting firm as well as for the Clinton Foundation itself.

Judicial Watch is seeking clarification about this special arrangement in their Freedom of Information suit. The group had asked for the right to question the former Secretary of State under oath regarding the possible mishandling of public records in light of the recent personal server findings.

The question now is will Mrs. Clinton fight to keep from taking the stand, and if not, will her reasons be enough for Justice Sullivaan, another judge appointed by Bill Clinton during his term?

*“There’s been a constant drip, drip, drip of declarations. When does it stop?” Justice Sullivan said. “This case is about the public’s right to know.”

The renewed push to get Mrs. Clinton on the stand was brought about in part by the comments of F.B.I. Director Comey. He had stated there were several thousand work related emails discovered that were not turned over in the Freedom of Information suit. This was a direct contradiction to Mrs. Clinton’s assertions everything had been submitted.

If Mrs. Clinton is compelled to take the stand, not only will she be answering questions about the special treatment seemingly given to Ms. Abedin with her working arrangements but also if her conflicting statements about her private email server were an effort to obstruct the FOIA lawsuit.

I think it’s fair to say at this point, the public won’t be holding their breath for another opportunity where Mrs. Clinton could face serious repercussions. Nobody will be surprised if she manages to come up with some excuse why she cannot take the stand leaving her friend and aide to take the heat for her.

Polling reader comment sections as I do, it seems most people have resigned themselves to the theory the game is rigged and Mrs. Clinton will never answer for Email-Gate. The consensus is the mainstream media will try to make it go away and she will get away with crimes anyone else would’ve been in prison already.

That really isn’t a surprise or news to anyone but what’s more troubling are the comments that have a shoulder-shrug, what’s-the-point-of-voting tone to them. Whether it’s a temporary feeling of hopelessness that will fade or if some of the wind has been knocked out of, what has been up to now, an extraordinarily passionate electorate, there is a belief by some on both sides of the political spectrum that Hilary will be President regardless of how the vote goes. It would be quite sad if that feeling were to take a lasting hold through the rest of the campaign, especially if it infects the young and new voters who had actually started to become interested rather than apathetic. Time will tell on that one.

A glimmer of hope comes from Justice Sullivan’s comments (*see above). It does sound as though he is fed up with the misdirection. It may take a pretty good excuse on Mrs. Clinton’s part to avoid the stand. The American Justice system could use a credibility boost about now.

**Update July 12, 2016

Well, today was the deadline for Hilary Clinton, or more likely her lawyers, to respond or do something in regards to the petition. Details are scarce as to what actually transpired today but there is a hearing scheduled for Monday, July 18, 2016 as reported by the Judical Watch website. Not over yet.