Hillary Clinton email controversy
There’s a ton of controversy circling around Hillary Clinton and those emails this week as the FBI recommended no criminal action be taken against her for not keeping top secret information secure – they did recommend administrative action.
According to Paul Ryan, administrative action in this situation would translate to cutting her off from any access to classified or top secret documents in the future. And now that the possibility of criminal charges has been set aside, the State Department has reopened their investigation into the matter. And if “administrative” action is recommended by them, “we have a problem, Houston!”
Access Denied
Once her Presidential candidacy is verified at the Democratic National Convention later this month, she would normally be given access to a lot of classified information. Whether or not that will happen will depend on what the State Department determines. Can you even imagine a President (if she’s elected) who has been stripped of any privileges to view or know confidential information?
That’s a PR nightmare hanging in the wind right now. And don’t dismiss the anger of many Americans about the FBI “wimping” out by the estimation of many in the public arena. Considering how much smoke has surrounded both Bill and Hillary over the years in such matters, her ultimate admission that she had lied to the FBI when it came to several of their inquiries into the emails. Add all that to her now famous statement long after the tragedy at Benghazi of “what difference, at this point, does it make?” It’s becoming impossible for the American people to forget as she would so like everyone to do.
Aftermath
The lessons learned in crisis PR would usually say that having so many strikes against her when looking at public perception, her time at bat should have long been over. But, by whatever means, she’s still doing well in the polls, and those in power still seem to believe she can win the election. The press hasn’t hounded her excessively, and maybe the biggest thing she has going for her is in that whole movement known as #NeverTrump.
“David Firester is the CEO of TRAC Intelligence.”
David Firester, Ph.D.
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