WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after participating in a House Oversight and Government Reform Full Committee hearing titled, “Oversight of the State Department” which sought to investigate the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) recommendation not to prosecute former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for mishandling classified information:
Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after participating in a House Oversight and Government Reform Full Committee hearing titled, “Oversight of the State Department” which sought to investigate the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) recommendation not to prosecute former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for mishandling classified information:
“In the real world, the American people don’t have a ‘get out of jail free’ card. Everyday Americans face serious consequences when they break the rules. Today’s oversight hearing revealed there is a clear double standard for the Clintons and their political operation. Even Secretary Clinton’s staff, which undeniably put our national security at risk, is getting away with no punishment for their lawlessness.
“I fear that the precedent established by Hillary Clinton’s illegal activity threatens the very foundation of the Rule of Law. As Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said, ‘In a government of laws, the existence of the government will be imperiled if it fails to observe the law scrupulously….If government becomes a lawbreaker it breeds contempt for law: it invites every man to become a law unto himself. It invites anarchy.’
“Director Comey should have recommended Clinton be prosecuted under Section 793 or Section 1024 of title 18. Unfortunately, his recommendation deprived the American people of the opportunity for justice in this matter. Hillary Clinton and the Obama Administration have left behind a shameful legacy of lawlessness resulting in irreparable damage to the idea that all Americans are equal in the eyes of the law.”
Background:
On July 5, 2016 Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Director James Comey announced at a news conference the findings from an FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails and that the agency would not recommend criminal charges for Hillary Clinton.
Clinton testified before Congress and told the American people multiple times that she never emailed any classified information to anyone on her private email servers. The FBI investigation revealed 110 of Clinton’s emails and 52 email chains contained classified information.
Clinton told the American people “the laws and regulations in effect when I was Secretary of State allowed me to use my email for work. That is undisputed.” The FBI investigation revealed that also wasn’t true.
Clinton claimed she turned over all her work related emails. The FBI investigation revealed that also wasn’t true.
Clinton claimed there were no security breaches and her private servers had numerous safeguards. The FBI investigation revealed eight email chains on Clinton’s private servers containing TOP SECRET information and that it was possible “hostile actors gained access” to sensitive information. Further, multiple people she emailed with regularly were hacked by hostile actors and her private servers were less secure than a Gmail account – making a security breach all the more likely.
It is a federal crime to mishandle classified information in a grossly negligent way and Director Comey stated Clinton and her colleagues were “extremely careless.” Clinton has publicly stated she was well-aware of the classification requirements, yet she broke the law anyway.
Multiple people have been prosecuted for less and there is a growing trend of abuses in senior level employees. The only difference between Clinton and others is her total resistance to acknowledge her irresponsible behavior that jeopardized our national security.
