Bill Clinton Cost His Wife the Presidency
“The capper was — and I’m not picking on Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who I like very much — but her meeting with President Clinton on that airplane was the capper for me,” Comey said.
FBI Director James Comey, Senate Judiciary Committee, May 3rd, 2017
We now know that Bill Clinton cost his wife the presidency. Nate Silver crunched the data and came to this conclusion —
Hillary Clinton would probably be president if FBI Director James Comey had not sent a letter to Congress on Oct. 28.
That letter was a direct result of an encounter between Bill Clinton and Loretta Lynch on a tarmac in Phoenix.
The July Press Conference Necessitates the Letter
The October 28th Comey letter, 11 days before the election, was necessitated by his July press conference where he announced that while Hillary Clinton was “extremely careless,” the Justice Department would not recommend criminal charges.
But when the FBI discovered Clinton-related emails on the laptop of Anthony Weiner in the course of an unrelated investigation, this was viewed as new evidence in the Hillary Clinton case.
Since Comey had previously announced to the world in July that the case had been resolved, he felt the need to inform Congress that new information had come to light that potentially changed the nature of his earlier statement.
The press conference was prompted by the Clinton/Lynch tarmac meeting. The letter was necessary because of the press conference. Therefore, the letter was prompted by the tarmac meeting.
The letter lost Hillary Clinton the race : the tarmac meeting lost Hillary Clinton the race.
The Tarmac Meeting
Loretta Lynch and Bill Clinton had a chance encounter on a tarmac in Phoenix in June 2016.
From CNN on how the meeting happened —
According to a law enforcement official familiar with the matter, the former president saw Lynch’s plane on the tarmac and walked onto her aircraft. Lynch’s FBI security detail did not stop Clinton and he proceeded to initiate an extended conversation that included discussion of grandchildren. Lynch was surprised to see Clinton walking onto her plane, the official said, and no Justice Department business was discussed.
If this account it true, Bill Clinton was clearly the instigator in the meeting. But keep in mind that this “law enforcement official” is likely part of Lynch’s orbit. This could be the narrative she wants to promote and not fully accurate.
The FBI Must be Viewed as Independent
The context that this drama takes place in is the relationship between the Justice Department and the FBI.
While the FBI is technically part of the Justice Department, it has always taken pride in its independence. This independence is core to the FBI having the credibility that enables it to execute its mission.
When Lynch, the head of the Justice Department, met with Bill Clinton, the husband of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, it created the appearance of a conflict.
There was an active investigation into Hillary Clinton at the time, and this meeting suggested politics could get in the way of an impartial investigation.
Hence, Comey felt the need to assert the FBI's independence from the Justice Department. It began with the July press conference, and ended with the October letter to Congress.
It doesn’t matter what they talked about on the tarmac, that’s not important — but optics are.
This is Historic and Mind Boggling
Why has noone asked Hillary Clinton how she feels about this? I can’t imagine that this didn’t cause some behind-the-scenes Clinton flare ups.
There were a number of factors that led to her loss to Trump. But there’s a strong, data-backed case that the October Comey letter tipped the scales in Trump’s favor; the nail in the coffin.
And to be 100% clear — that letter was necessary because her husband, Bill Clinton, had a chance meeting on a tarmac in Phoenix.
It boggles the mind that, at the end of the day, Trump’s victory was brought about by the careless behavior of a candidate’s husband and former President.
You can’t make this stuff up!
