Defense attorneys for a Navy sailor set to be sentenced on Friday for compromising national security have cited the FBI’s investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private email server as part of his case for leniency from the courts.
Petty Officer First Class Kristian Saucier, 29, pleaded guilty to retaining classified information without permission after taking six classified photos inside a nuclear submarine in 2009.
Saucier is likely to face 5 to 7 years on a single felony charge, however his attorney Derrick Hogan cited the FBI’s lenient treatment of Hillary Clinton, despite there being evidence that she violated laws pertaining to the handling of classified information.
Last week, Hogan filed the case for Saucier to be placed under probation, arguing that “Democratic Presidential Candidate and former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has come under scrutiny for engaging in acts similar to Mr. Saucier,”
“In [this] case, Mr. Saucier possessed six (6) photographs classified as ‘confidential/restricted,’ far less than Clinton’s 110 emails. It will be unjust and unfair for Mr. Saucier to receive any sentence other than probation for a crime those more powerful than him will likely avoid,” he continued.
Saucier also has the support of senior Navy officials who attempted to shift blame onto themselves on the grounds that officers such as Saucier were “overworked” and “not treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.”
Saucier is set to be sentenced on Friday.
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