Dismissing a question about her use of a private email server through which she conducted government business during her tenure as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton assured the audience she should not be indicted.
At the CNN-Univision debate in Miami on Wednesday with Senator Bernie Sanders, Clinton refused to answer a question posed to her by Jorge Ramos.
Perhaps attempting to overcompensate given his daughter’s employment with Clinton’s campaign, Ramos asked Clinton if she would withdraw from the race if indicted.
“Would you drop out of the race if you get indicted?” asked Ramos.
Stating that none of her conduct was untoward, Clinton repeated the refrain of denying any wrongdoing.
“It was not prohibited. It was not in any way disallowed. As has now come out, my predecessors did the same thing, and many other people in the government,” replied Clinton.”I did not send or receive any emails marked classified at the time.”
Having signed a nondisclosure agreement in which she committed herself to not negligently handle sensitive information pertaining to national security, Clinton’s use of a private email server through which she executed electronic communications in her former capacity as head of the State Department was certainly prohibited and disallowed.
None of Clinton’s predecessors used a private email server through which to execute government business, moreover, telecommunication technology has significantly changed between the years of Colin Powell’s secretaryship and those of Clinton’s.
Emails containing sensitive information are not spontaneously marked classified while being originally composed by a senior cabinet official such as the Secretary of State. In such a senior position, Clinton was privy to sensitive information – the most sensitive of which has now been found to have been on her private server – and expected to conscientiously handle its transmission.
Pressing Clinton further, Ramos continued.
“If you get indicted, will you drop out?” asked Ramos.
“Oh, for goodness, and it’s not gonna happen. I’m not even answering that question,” replied Clinton, receiving enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Former CIA Director Michael Hayden recently said that he would “lose respect” for foreign and enemy intelligence agencies had they not hacked into Clinton’s private email server.
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