Grassley turns up heat on Clinton, State

[Jarqui]

Source: Politico

Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley is amping up his investigation into Hillary Clinton's email setup and the special work status of one of her top confidantes — just as the Democratic presidential front-runner's allies are accusing Grassley of using his oversight authority to hurt her campaign.

Grassley (R-Iowa) took two new steps last week. On Wednesday, he issued a letter to former Clinton aide Heather Samuelson, who screened Clinton's emails as secretary of state to initially determine which ones would be turned over to the government and made available publicly, and which ones were deemed private and would later be deleted. Among other things, the missive, obtained by POLITICO, asked what level of security clearance Samuelson had at State; several hundred of Clinton's emails, which she routed through a private server, have since been deemed classified.


Then, on Thursday night, Grassley blocked the nomination of a top-level Obama State Department nominee, Thomas Shannon Jr., to be undersecretary of state for political affairs. Grassley is seeking documents from State in his long-running investigation of a job arrangement for top Clinton aide Huma Abedin. Her designation as a "special government employee" allowed Abedin to work as an adviser to Clinton at State at the same time she consulted for a private company with close ties to the Clinton family.
...
The news comes as Democratic senators join Clinton supporters from the outside group Correct the Record in blasting Grassley's efforts as a politically motivated witch hunt. They’re accusing him of working with a former Grassley aide, now at the State Department inspector general’s office, to dig up dirt on the campaign — an accusation the State IG employee and Grassley both deny and pushed back on as recently as Friday.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/grassley-emails-hillary-clinton-state-216103

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The letter to Heather Samuelson asks 19 questions of her
http://static.politico.com/0b/f0/455a1d674aa884314904571d766a/samuelson-letter.pdf

Apparently, Grassley & co are still waiting for more documents from the State Department. It appears this is going to continue for a while.

[AllyCat]

1. They really have nothing better to do.

So much at stake and we're still messing around with this stupid stuff.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

2. More bullshit from one of the biggest bullshitters in the senate

Retire already, Grassley, you fucking hack.

[CoffeeCat]

3. I'm embarrassed that he is my senator...

He and Koch darling, Joni Ernst.

These two are partisan hacks and so are these endless "investigations".

I miss my Senator Tom Harkin, that's for sure.

[onehandle]

4. Rather than comment on GOP bullshit, the OP spins this crapola as worrying for the Clinton campaign.

Give it up, 'Not Hillary' Party.

[gregcrawford]

5. Why doesn't Grassley just return to his crypt...

... and fucking pull it in after him?

[6000eliot]

6. People are still trying to post this shit?

[Jarqui]

7. It is "news"

might not be nice news or news you like but it is news about the Democratic primary leader.

Others are covering the story:
ABC : Nov 24, 2015, 3:16 AM ET Benghazi, Email Probes Plow Ahead After Clinton Testimony
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/benghazi-email-probes-plow-ahead-clinton-testimony-35385773

US News 2015/11/23 Public Service Nominees Become Pawns in Political Squabbles
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/11/23/public-service-nominees-become-pawns-in-political-squabbles

The Politico article cover both prongs of the current probes emails & staff. It's not a terrible news source.

The State Department still has emails to release. Don't know how long it's going to take but in a week or so, you'll read more news on the next batch and probably for some months after that, so you'd better get used to it. It's not going away.

Earlier this month,
http://www.wsj.com/articles/bernie-sanders-takes-gloves-off-against-hillary-clinton-in-interview-1446684586

On the issue of Mrs. Clinton’s emails, Mr. Sanders didn’t say he regretted his debate remarks. “You get 12 seconds to say these things,” he said of the debate setting. “There’s an investigation going on right now. I did not say, ‘End the investigation.’ That’s silly.…Let the investigation proceed unimpeded.”

November 22, 2015 Real Clear Politics article:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2015/11/22/the_challenges_ahead_for_hillary_clinton_128818.html

The common wisdom is that Ms. Clinton’s greatest danger ahead involves her emails.

Lynch: Obama remarks don't affect probes
http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2015/11/lynch-obama-remarks-dont-affect-probes-215973

The FBI is conducting an ongoing inquiry into possible mishandling of classified information in connection with Clinton's use of a private email account during her four years as secretary of state. Some FBI agents complained that Obama's comments had the potential to undercut the agency's work.

Later in the hearing, Lynch said she was unaware of any effort by the White House to interfere with the email investigation, but she declined to discuss where the probe stands or how long it is likely to take. "I’m not able to comment on the status of that matter," she said.

Above, the Attorney General confirms the FBI is looking into potential allegations of criminal wrong doing by Hillary with her emails. That's also going on right now. As a site very much involved with the primary and general election, whether you like it or not, I think we should report news that relates to what we're doing. If you don't like the news, all posters have the choice not to read it or to ignore it. But that preference should not prevail over others getting the option to read about what is going on.

This is the FBI and Senate Judiciary Committee looking into it. It's not a trivial parking ticket offense. The Clintons have been like teflon over the years. There's a good chance this stuff won't stick. But we're foolish to pretend it isn't happening or not keep an eye on it. There are some rather serious implications if they come up with something.

[6000eliot]

8. Thank you for your concern, Sanders supporter.