National Journal Senior Political Columnist Ron Fournier argued that Democratic presidential candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton showed “a total disregard” for the Freedom of Information Act and “has not been honest” with her emails, but that “there is a higher bar you have to get over before you prosecute somebody who’s running for president” on Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
Fournier stated that the investigation into Clinton’s emails “has been beyond a procedural investigation, practically from the beginning.” He added that there is no target of the investigation, but it is a criminal investigation.
Fournier further said, “[W]e know Hillary Clinton has not been honest about this, and we show — it’s shown in the polls, that most Americans think they can’t trust her. We know that she showed a disregard for [the] Freedom of Information Act, a total disregard for [the] Freedom of Information Act, for the whole idea of legislative oversight, and for the whole idea of the value of a historical record. That’s baked in the cake. Now, I think what’s going to happen here, if these stories are correct she’ll — she’s likely to be interviewed, that’s going to bring all that back up to the surface, but the big question is — the only thing that really changes the game, is if we have any criminal charges. I don’t know that’s going to happen. That may not happen.”
He also stated, “So, politically that plays into the this whole question that we really can’t trust her. That she’s been saying things like well, they weren’t marked classified, when we all know, and voters understand, that really doesn’t matter. Legally, though, there’s a big bar that you have to get over to prosecute anybody for these crimes, much less somebody who’s running for president, and as critical as I’ve been of Hillary Clinton, and I am very critical of Hillary Clinton, I do understand that when somebody is running for president, there is a higher bar you have to get over, because we can’t have a system in which we’re constantly charging people who are running for president with a crime.”
Fournier added “Politically, there’s severe questions about her judgment that voters really have to look into it. Legally, I can’t sit here on the st and say that she has definitely violated the law, and I do know that there is a harder — there is a higher bar you have to get over before you prosecute somebody who’s running for president. That’s just a fact.”
(h/t LawNewz)
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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