Hillary Clinton wanted us to believe it was simply all politics.
Nothing more.
During the 2016 presidential election, Clinton faced withering criticism that she used a private email server to mishandle classified information while serving as secretary of state under former President Barack Obama.
Of course, Clinton claimed the attacks were politically motivated — designed to cost her the election.
And once the election was over, Clinton expected that she’d be allowed to ride off into the sunset, scot-free. She likely even expects a clean slate if she decided to enter the 2020 race as a vice presidential candidate.
The only problem? A federal judge isn’t satisfied — and Clinton is right back in the hot seat again.
Judge Royce Lamberth yesterday ordered that Clinton sit for a sworn deposition regarding her use of a private email account for official — and sometimes classified — government work.
The case involves a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by government watchdog Judicial Watch more than five years ago. The suit seeks to uncover what really happened during a deadly attack on a U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya in 2012.
Critics have long accused Clinton of using private email to avoid the types of FOIA requests and lawsuits filed by Judicial Watch. And it appears that Lamberth agrees that this criticism has merit.
Previously, Clinton provided written answers to questions about her use of private email in conjunction with the Libya attacks. But in his ruling, Lamberth blasted Clinton’s answers as “incomplete, unhelpful, or cursory, at best.”
The fact that Clinton emails continue to dribble out from the State Department shows that a thorough review has still not been conducted, Lamberth claimed.
One of the answers Lamberth is seeking is why Clinton believed there was any legal basis for allowing her to use private email.
“Why did she think that using a private server to conduct State Department business was permissible under the law in the first place?” Lamberth asked.
“Judicial Watch uncovered the Clinton email scandal and we’re pleased that the court authorized us to depose Mrs. Clinton directly on her email conduct and how it impacted the people’s ‘right to know’ under FOIA,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
Rumors have circulated that Clinton was considering entering the 2020 race as a candidate for vice president — or that she may be setting herself up for another high-ranking position if a Democrat prevails in the 2020 race.
But this latest ruling proves that Clinton’s email scandal is not going away anytime soon — not until she finally sits down and answers some tough questions.
The Horn editorial team