Matt Miller speaks my mind

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan & other Republicans are spot-on in feeling that while FBI Director James Comey did not bring charges against Secretary Clinton for her use of a private e-mail server for State Department business, he sure did make it sound like he really wanted to, was restrained by the pesky lack of actual evidence that her wrong-doing rose to the level of illegal.  He absolved her while giving plenty of wiggle room for Republicans to rightly claim his press conference & announcement called her out for being...  Something.

Praise be, former Department of Justice spokesperson Matt Miller summed up his response to the Director's announcement - both text & venue - better than I could:

It's not just unusual, it's unprecedented.

You'll now have people in the middle of a campaign able to say, 'Well, the FBI director said Hillary Clinton was careless.'"  That's not the FBI director's job to do, and the rules are set up to prohibit that kind of behavior.


For Jim Comey to come out and make that kind of public statement... is completely inappropriate and arguably violates DOJ and FBI rules.

I think that type of statement is why the FBI director is not supposed to hold press conferences like the one he held today. If you're not going to bring charges you shouldn't insert yourself in the middle of a political campaign the way he did.

If there is to be a judgment that her behavior was careless or inappropriate, that's a judgment for the State Department and Inspector General to make. The FBI's job is to determine whether laws were violated and charges can be brought in court. His determination was that there were no laws violated and he wouldn't recommend charges.

Beyond that, it's really inappropriate for him to be talking about this case any further.

People should know that and there are procedures in place so they can. The State Department Inspector General, for example, has been reviewing this matter, has been reviewing her use of email, but that's not what the FBI exists to do. The FBI exists to bring charges or not...Hillary Clinton certainly shouldn't get any special treatment but she shouldn't get any worse treatment than any other person would get either. 

That last part says it all.  If she wasn't charged because no reasonable prosecutor would take the case, the most obvious reason is because there was no basis for charges.  But that is a strange statement for the Director to make.  If I was a Republican, it would sure look like he's saying, "Yeah, but..."  

The FBI exists to bring charges or not.  It is clear that Director Comey did not find any evidence that would stand up in court, but he chose to indict through innuendo.  Mind you, the poor man knew he'd be damned if he did, damned if he didn't.  But, as I see it, his choice to treat HRC in such a - openly exonerated, subliminally charged - is impossible to comprehend.  We sure do live in weird times.

 

Paul Ryan clearly didn't get a law degree

Unlike many career politicians, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan got his Bachelor's (from Ohio's Miami University) in economics & political science.  

He sure didn't get it in law, because he doesn't grasp the difference between criminal activities & ones that dishonest & even downright shifty.  It's possible to be dishonest & flagrantly mislead people without breaking laws.   (If it was otherwise, I can think of at least two former leaders who'd been in prison right now.)

Speaker Ryan is in full cry following the FBI's decision to not file charges against Hillary Clinton for her reckless use of a private e-mail server while serving as Secretary of State.  Predictably, he yelps about a decision he says, "defies explanation."

Actually, FBI Director (and lifelong Republican) James Comey was up front about his reasoning.  There isn't enough incriminating evidence to warrant official indictment; any prosecutor bringing charges against HRC would be humiliated in court.  

Seems the Speaker - with no experience in law enforcement, no legal training - knows better.  As he laid out, while he respects the folks over at the J. Edgar Hoover Building, "No one should be above the law... Declining to prosecute Secretary Clinton for recklessly mishandling and transmitting national security information will set a terrible precedent."
  

 

I quite agree.  And when it becomes illegal for politicians to act recklessly, I will be the first to advocate bringing the guilty to trial.  Sadly for all of us, the folks serving from Capitol Hill to Foggy Bottom, from seats of power up & down Pennsylvania Avenue & across the river can be flagrantly reckless without breaking any laws.  And frequently do. 

But the choicest quote from Paul Ryan is, "The findings of this investigation also make clear that Secretary Clinton mislead the American people when she was confronted with her criminal actions.  While we need more information about how the Bureau came to this recommendation, the American people will reject this troubling pattern of dishonesty & poor judgment."

Sheez Louise!  I know the Speaker lacks any legal experience, but to equate dishonesty & poor judgment with CRIMINAL actions is pretty wild, even for..  you know... a career politician.  He apparently never watched Hunt for Red October, where Richard Jordan's character lays out for Alec Baldwin's Jack Ryan what Americans expect from career politicians like HRC & anyone powerful enough to become Speaker of the House.   

Although, now that I think of it, probably the clip that most resonates with the Speaker's response - and his shock at her less than worthy ways - comes from a far older flick.

 

Soft hues are big news

For weeks, have been tracking Hillary's fashion pivot into the general election.  Noticed her wardrobe's taken on a decidedly pastel shade, her outfits have evolved into unconstructed ensembles rather than her trademark severe styling. 

Blessings on the style maven who convinced HRC that brightly colored tailored pant suits look downright dorky. 

Have noticed that as the primaries closed, her wardrobe opened up to a more unconstructed style. 

But what she wore to call Donald Trump out for appealing to a litany of phobias surprised even me...

"The softer side of Sears" was a wildly successful ad campaign that HRC seems to be taking to heart!