During the final presidential debate, the candidates got into a heated exchange about the use of nuclear weapons, in which Hillary Clinton trotted out her talking point that Donald Trump is unfit to have his finger on the button because of his lack of self-control. What made the internet go nuts, however, was when she added one specific detail to her argument that some are saying is a violation of operational security, a routine she knows well.
In the clip, after calling out Trump for being “casual about the use of nuclear weapons,” Hillary then casually pops off the exact response time our government would have during an attack.
“Here’s the deal,” Hillary tells Chris Wallace and the entire planet watching live, “The bottom line on nuclear weapons is that when the president gives the order it must be followed. There’s about four minutes between the order being given and the people responsible for launching nuclear weapons to do so.”
Many in the Twittersefere were not pleased with Crooked Hillary’s admission, seeing it as a blatant violation of operational security (OPSEC):
Hillary tweeted the info out earlier but with slightly different wording, specifically the phrase “can take” rather than an implying a more exact time of four minutes. Many of her defenders use that wiggle room wording, and an article from Bloomberg back in September that suggests launches can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, as evidence that she wasn’t giving any information away.
But, as Politico points out:
This four minute figure may be “out there,” but it’s certainly alarming how casually Hillary Clinton talks about sensitive matters of national security.
Almost as sloppy as hosting a private server without government security and transmitting classified and sensitive material via email.
You may also remember last month when speaking at a Hillary rally, Vice President Biden, in the middle of ranting about Trump’s unfitness to be in charge of the nuclear codes, casually pointed out his military aid who at that moment was carrying the briefcase with the codes known as the nuclear football:
Crooked Hillary, of course, has also demonstrated a complete lack of care for national security:
But then again:
The full debate exchange about nuclear weapons below: