Americans Getting a Taste of What a Second Clinton Presidency Would Look Like

WashingtonExaminer.com

With Americans' attention diverted perhaps to the big and controversial visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, two news bombshells dropped on Hillary Clinton's presidential aspirations. They provide not just a reminder of the Clinton era — a time when government accountability vanished from the earth and excuses abounded for even the most flagrant illegalities — but also an early taste of what a second Clinton administration would be like.

The first story was a follow-up on the Washington Post's earlier report that the Clintons' family foundation received millions in donations from foreign governments while Clinton was serving as Secretary of State. This implies obvious conflicts between her personal and official obligations — how does Clinton respond to a 3 a.m. phone call from a foreign government that is also feeding her family foundation?

Clinton's defense — and the State Department's — was that State had vetted all such donations under a prior agreement that had (incredibly) permitted them. In the words of State spokeswoman Jen Psaki, "We have reviewed every donation that was submitted."

But on Monday, the State Department had to back off this claim, because it wasn't true. As Josh Gerstein reported in Politico, "there are no indications any Clinton Foundation donations were ever sent to the State Department for approval."

Meanwhile, The New York Times went up with its own bombshell. For her entire time as Secretary of State, Clinton conducted all of her official business using a private email address, and did not contemporaneously save emails related to government business. This is how government officials illegally circumvent the Freedom of Information Act and prevent transparency in government.

Clinton's actions are more than just a flagrant violation of transparency laws — they also represent a massive security failure. Americans are only now learning how Clinton broke the law because of the investigation by the Benghazi Select Committee, but it is unlikely that foreign intelligence services haven't known of it all along.

As in the 1990s, the former secretary's defenders are once again bending over backwards to make excuses. Her spokesman, Nick Merrill, went so far as to tell the Times that all of her correspondence with other government officials would be preserved anyway, but he had no answers when asked about Clinton's official correspondence with people outside of government, including foreign diplomats and leaders.

The foreign donations story is so very Clintonesque. This is a couple so attentive to detail that they took a tax deduction for donating President Clinton's used underpants, yet they can simultaneously overlook an obvious ethical lapse of any size whatsoever.

As for Secretary Clinton's email use, it is perhaps an even graver issue. It wasn't just illegal under the Federal Records Act — it's also boneheaded and potentially damaging to America's security and diplomatic interests.

When Bill Clinton was first seeking the presidency, he famously promised Americans that they would be blessed with the leadership of both himself and his spouse — "two for the price of one." With Clinton now planning to launch a presidential campaign, Americans will be offered that deal again soon. They have at least been warned what they would be getting themselves into.