Understanding the United States of America (USA) - III

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 30 Oct 2016 22:24

Mr. Cormey's problem is that he signed his own death warrant back when he made his Statement: in saying that "No reasonable prosecutor would prosecute" he also said the conduct of HiC was inexcusably incompetent etc. He signed his death warrant right there.

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 30 Oct 2016 22:31

the attorney general tried to get comey to not release the letter to congress. that is obstruction.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 30 Oct 2016 22:38

WaPo:

Trump’s bizarre claim that the Clinton email controversy is ‘bigger than Watergate’
Trump earns Four more Pinocchios for this absurd comparison.

Oh yeah, the shrillness convinces me. Let's think for a moment:
A. Watergate: Some incompetents sneaked into the Watergate Hotel and stole some Democrat Party campaign documents. They were caught in the act. The responsibility for this panty-raid was ultimately traced to the WHOTUS/Oral Office.

B. Email Scam: Most of America's policy secrets were stolen from Classified State Department servers and set around to several public and private email accounts, confidential documents were printed out without control numbers on them, they were probably photographed and transmitted out to hostile nations and to Clinton Foundation donors as Insider Trading.

Why is (A) more significant than (B) except that the Republicans did A and the Democracts did B?
Basically the entire US Classified Documents system has been trashed. I think anyone who is prosecuted for removing Classified Documents can now introduce the Precedent saying that "No Reasonable Prosecutor Will Prosecute".

So the Justice system is basically trashed.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 30 Oct 2016 22:42

the attorney general tried to get comey to not release the letter to congress. that is obstruction.

It proved 2 things in one step. (1) When nailed for her secret oral meeting with Slick Willie on her private plane, that was Strike 1. She swore up and down to stay OUT of the Clinton email mess. Clearly she lied. That was Strike 2.
(2) Her attempt to obstruct here was clearly a paid attempt. That's Strike 3.

svenkat · Post by **svenkat** » 30 Oct 2016 22:43

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/29/dakota-access-pipeline-native-american-protesters

Native Americans protesting against the Dakota Access pipeline (DAPL) on Saturday accused law enforcement officers of cruel and inhumane treatment in jail, but said mass arrests and violent confrontations with police would not deter them from fighting construction of the oil project.

Activists were reunited at the Standing Rock camps in North Dakota after their release from local jails. Some told the Guardian police aggressively detained them, crowded them into vans, wrote numbers on their arms to track them, conducted invasive body searches and showed a lack of respect for native culture.

“They treat us like we’re not human beings,” said Russell Eagle Bear, a member of the Rosebud Sioux, who was one of 141 people arrested on Thursday when protesters tried to block pipeline construction. “We’re simply numbers to them.

“The cops threw me to the ground,” said Wambli Red Bird, 19, of the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe. “One of them had a knee on my neck and they were shouting ‘Stop resisting.’ I was telling them, ‘I’m going peacefully.’”

n tears, Caro Gonzales, a member of the Chemehuevi tribe who was one of the first arrested, said police temporarily detained her and three other women in a large cage that she described as a “dog kennel”.

“We were all crying in pain, saying we needed medical attention,” said Gonzales, 26, who also goes by the name Guarding Red Tarantula Woman.

he said she was particularly upset by the way police repeatedly searched her and other Native American women.

“He searched me everywhere, touched everywhere,” she said, adding that the experience has been emotionally draining. “I was just crying. I couldn’t physically stop myself.””

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/30/dakota-access-pipeline-protest-north-dakota-oregon-militia-native-americans

Johanna Holy Elk Face couldn’t help but chuckle. The 63-year-old Native American was one of hundreds of activists gathered to block construction of the Dakota Access pipeline on Thursday, when police with tanks and riot gear surrounded them and began making mass arrests.

The situation was sad and frightening, she said, but there was a fleeting moment of levity when one officer on the loudspeaker warned the demonstrators not to shoot “bows and arrows”.

“We all laughed,” Holy Elk Face said, noting that she wouldn’t even know how to use a toy bow and arrow.

For some Native American activists, the officer’s comment was the latest sign that a highly militarized police force has little understanding of indigenous culture and is set on treating the protesters like violent rioters, regardless of their tactics.

The notion that the criminal justice system is biased against Native American protesters came into sharp view hours later, when a jury in Portland, Oregon, issued a verdict of not guilty for white militia leaders who staged an armed occupation of federal land to protest government policies.

The fact that protesters with guns were acquitted on the same day police arrested 141 “water protectors”, who have often relied on indigenous songs and prayers to convey their message, sparked a firestorm on social media about white privilege and police brutality against people of color.

At the Standing Rock camps in North Dakota, where the fight against the $3.8bn oil pipeline is escalating dramatically, Native Americans said the Oregon verdict was an infuriating and painful reminder that the law treats them differently – and that the odds are stacked against them in their high-stakes battle to save their land.

‘If native people were armed’

On the surface, there are parallels between the Dakota Access pipeline protest and the Oregon militia standoff, in which the brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy seized the Malheur national wildlife refuge in a protest against the government’s treatment of ranchers.

In both cases, protesters declared willingness to risk their lives to fight for land rights, and law enforcement responded that the protests were illegaland dangerous.

The Oregon and North Dakota camps both grew organically in remote rural areas. Visitors to both locations have met activists from across the US who have bonded over harsh weather conditions, mistrust of the government and fear of the police. Protesters on horseback were common sights at Malheur and Standing Rock.

But the underlying tactics and core beliefs sharply diverged. The ultra-conservative activists who seized the Malheur refuge were fighting against environmental restrictions aimed at protecting open space and public lands – policies cowboys said had slowly eroded their way of life.

Nicole Taylor, a protester from the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa, said it seemed obvious to her that police would not have violently targeted the North Dakota movement if its leaders were not Native American.

“I think they’re racist,” she said, adding: “They’re doing this for money and greed.”

Taylor said that when she sees police use violence against protesters, it sometimes makes her wish the Native Americans armed themselves. But she acknowledged the results could be disastrous: “It’d be world war three.”

Xhopakelxhit said law enforcement tactics were part of a much broader trend of mistreatment of Native Americans, noting that police killed indigenous people at an alarmingly high rate.

But ultimately, Hopson said, he felt the group’s message must remain peaceful. “We want them to realize this is about their grandkids’ water,” he said.

darshan · Post by **darshan** » 30 Oct 2016 22:57

When looking at Dakota pipeline issue, I wonder where all those pretending dems, liberals, NGOs causing issues all over the world have disappeared. And, the issue is not only in Dakota. It is all the way to Texas and well into Mexico. It is like Dem(ons) on one side revering their guru bill clinton and acting all pro environment but totally ignoring the damage done to environment by pro chinese policies of clinton administrator.

sanjaykumar · Post by **sanjaykumar** » 30 Oct 2016 23:06

When looking at Dakota pipeline issue, I wonder where all those pretending dems, liberals, NGOs causing issues all over the world have disappeared.

Never really thought of it, but yeah where the hell are the Swedes when ya need 'em?

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 30 Oct 2016 23:09

they don't like the pipeline near them but they like cheap gas for their pickups and rv's.

they also like their tribal welfare payments and medical care paid by US taxpayer.

the pipeline happens to be on private property.

the oregon/nevada ranchers wanted to confiscate public property wildlife sanctuary for their ownership and don't want to pay the public for grazing rights there on..

a pox on all their houses, ranchos, teepees, trucks, and rv's.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 30 Oct 2016 23:11

Gerrymandering: the example of North Carolina:
Full story: http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/10 ... n-outcomes

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 30 Oct 2016 23:21

TSJones wrote:they don't like the pipeline near them but they like cheap gas for their pickups and rv's.

they also like their tribal welfare payments and medical care paid by US taxpayer.

the pipeline happens to be on private property.

the oregon/nevada ranchers wanted to confiscate public property wildlife sanctuary for their ownership and don't want to pay the piblic for grazing rights there on..

a pox on all their houses, ranchos, teepees, trucks, and rv's.

NIMBYism is a widespread American phenomenon, not confined to the Lakota.

I recently learned that the town of Harvard in Massachusetts is a "right-to-farm" town.
http://ecode360.com/13695536

The meaning of it is, e.g., in other places (e.g., as has happened in New Jersey), a developer builds houses near a long-existing working farm; and then the residents of those houses start complaining about the noises and smells from the farm, and then they use their votes in the municipality to zone the farm out of existence. "Right-to-farm" precludes that kind of thing from happening.

So lets not get all heated up about "private property rights" and all that guff; the American system is riddled with exceptions, and it does not become improper only when the Lakota do it. Specifically, as is common in America, they get to have a say in how their neighbors get to use their land ("private property") and all, including pipelines and high tension power lines.

Hitesh · Post by **Hitesh** » 30 Oct 2016 23:21

American comedian's take on Trump proclaiming support for Indians.

sanjaykumar · Post by **sanjaykumar** » 31 Oct 2016 00:00

TSJones wrote:they don't like the pipeline near them but they like cheap gas for their pickups and rv's.

they also like their tribal welfare payments and medical care paid by US taxpayer.

the pipeline happens to be on private property.

the oregon/nevada ranchers wanted to confiscate public property wildlife sanctuary for their ownership and don't want to pay the public for grazing rights there on..

a pox on all their houses, ranchos, teepees, trucks, and rv's.

I like that Americans are the most guilt free people on God's Earth.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 31 Oct 2016 00:52

In tears, Caro Gonzales, a member of the Chemehuevi tribe who was one of the first arrested, said police temporarily detained her and three other women in a large cage that she described as a “dog kennel”.
“We were all crying in pain, saying we needed medical attention,” said Gonzales, 26, who also goes by the name Guarding Red Tarantula Woman.
She said she was particularly upset by the way police repeatedly searched her and other Native American women.
“He searched me everywhere, touched everywhere,” she said, adding that the experience has been emotionally draining. “I was just crying. I couldn’t physically stop myself.””

Preet Bharara + ISIS?

Suresh S · Post by **Suresh S** » 31 Oct 2016 00:53

I predict Trump wins in a landslide and hillary ends up in jail . Even the FBI can see the writing on the wall. Finally, democracy is govt of the people, for the people and by the people. This govt has turned the so called dept of justice into a joke. State secrets are a joke, make copies distribute to whoever, who knows , talk about a banana republic.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 31 Oct 2016 01:05

^^^ and a trump administration will take the US back to the stone age... tremendously and bigly and i mean really tremendously folks
i've heard it said by people, i don't know, you tell me
maybe its true... you need to watch them folks
like bigly
and i mean
tremendously

Yayavar · Post by **Yayavar** » 31 Oct 2016 01:07

TSJones wrote:...

and oh btw, colleges and universities have to file a Clery report ever year that is available to each parent.

the public school system should have to do the same but hide it under "protecting juveniles privacy".

And this is due to Obama???

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 31 Oct 2016 01:30

Lalmohan wrote:^^^ and a trump administration will take the US back to the stone age... tremendously and bigly and i mean really tremendously folks
i've heard it said by people, i don't know, you tell me
maybe its true... you need to watch them folks
like bigly
and i mean
tremendously

POTUS is not the king of Englandistan. There is limited things a president can do as most of the dispensation is in the hands of congress. Most of us simply don't want a super corrupt anti India pro Sunni executive branch which is what you get with HiC.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 31 Oct 2016 02:36

Americans on amphetamines:
http://arunsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/1 ... mines.html
Americans on opioids:
http://arunsmusings.blogspot.com/2016/1 ... mines.html

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 31 Oct 2016 02:40

Mort Walker wrote:POTUS is not the king of Englandistan. There is limited things a president can do as most of the dispensation is in the hands of congress. Most of us simply don't want a super corrupt anti India pro Sunni executive branch which is what you get with HiC.

Right, Trump is not corrupt, he simply didn't pay numerous small contractors and suppliers what was owed to them, has not some N thousand lawsuits against him; has not business ties with the Saudis; and hasn't promised to do in his first hundred days a program that is really mostly the prerogative of Congress. Among other things he does not want to scrap the nuclear deal with the oh-so-not-Sunni-Iran, and instead bomb it out of existence. And Indians don't have a several hundred year record of being very able to discern the true threats to their existence.

PS: Do take note that I'm totally agreeing with you.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 31 Oct 2016 02:51

^^^Trumpanzee is not super corrupt. Other than that he is corrupt as much as the rest of the hanthis. In other words I am in total agreement with you.

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 31 Oct 2016 03:13

I like that Americans are the most guilt free people on God's Earth.

I'm not a fan of perpetual victimization. by anybody. I think it's mealy mouth whining.

brar_w · Post by **brar_w** » 31 Oct 2016 03:41

snahata wrote:I predict Trump wins in a landslide and hillary ends up in jail . Even the FBI can see the writing on the wall. Finally, democracy is govt of the people, for the people and by the people. This govt has turned the so called dept of justice into a joke. State secrets are a joke, make copies distribute to whoever, who knows , talk about a banana republic.

I think it may not come to Nov .8. HRC is likely to die of her illness well before that. At least that's what people are saying.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 31 Oct 2016 04:28

The FBI investigation is far from done. Other Clinton aides on grounds of immunity have turned over laptops and other devices containing classified communications. After the election, congress may subpoena the records and launch their own investigation. The US could have a situation where a sitting president is criminally indicted.

The best thing now is for Obama to pardon HRC and all her staff.

Suresh S · Post by **Suresh S** » 31 Oct 2016 04:33

No worries Mort. US is not going to have a situation of a sitting Pres being Indicted because it is gonna be Trumpo. It is gonna be wife of a ex pres boss.

Cosmo_R · Post by **Cosmo_R** » 31 Oct 2016 04:35

WASHINGTON — Federal investigators have obtained a warrant to begin searching a large cache of emails belonging to a top aide to Hillary Clinton, federal law enforcement officials said Sunday, as prosecutors and F.B.I. agents scrambled to review as much of the information as possible before Election Day.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/31/us/po ... -news&_r=0

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 31 Oct 2016 05:03

Mort Walker wrote:The FBI investigation is far from done. Other Clinton aides on grounds of immunity have turned over laptops and other devices containing classified communications. After the election, congress may subpoena the records and launch their own investigation. The US could have a situation where a sitting president is criminally indicted.

The best thing now is for Obama to pardon HRC and all her staff.

Can he pardon before they are indicted?

It means Hillary is going pardon all future crimes of Bill Clinton in future?

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 31 Oct 2016 05:08

Liberal America made simple

Nate Silver

pravula · Post by **pravula** » 31 Oct 2016 05:12

vijayk wrote:
Can he pardon before they are indicted?

There is nothing stopping a pardon before inditement. Nixon was never indicted IIRC...

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 31 Oct 2016 05:44

vijayk wrote:
Can he pardon before they are indicted?

It means Hillary is going pardon all future crimes of Bill Clinton in future?

Not really. I was being sarcastic. The Republicans are waiting until Obama leaves and then they'll start the investigations on HiC and the Clinton Crime Family (CCF).

chanakyaa · Post by **chanakyaa** » 31 Oct 2016 05:56

snahata wrote:....US is not going to have a situation of a sitting Pres being Indicted because it is gonna be Trumpo. It is gonna be wife of a ex pres boss.

Snahata sir, developments over the last few days have definitely made the winds blow against HRC. It is still difficult to imagine electoral (not popular) vote math going against HRC, but it just might start favoring DT.

(Image: ZeroHedge)

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 31 Oct 2016 06:50

Can he pardon before they are indicted? It means Hillary is going pardon all future crimes of Bill Clinton in future?

Sure. They need a Short Course by Teesta Setalwad on Anticipatory Bail.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 31 Oct 2016 06:57

How does someone keep "hundreds of thousands" of emails? Don't they ever use the trash folder or empty their trash? Imagine if these ppl start ruling the country: the WHOTUS will be one huge RAID array.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 31 Oct 2016 07:09

Gets more interesting.

The FBI stumbled upon a trove of emails from one of Hillary Clinton's top aides weeks ago, law enforcement officials told CNN Sunday. But FBI Director James Comey didn't disclose the discovery until Friday, raising questions about why the information was kept under wraps and then released only days before the election.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department has obtained a warrant that will allow it to begin searching the computer that is believed to contain thousands of newly found emails of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin, two law enforcement sources confirmed to CNN.
The timeline behind the discovery of the emails came into greater clarity Sunday.
Investigators took possession of multiple computers related to the inquiry of Anthony Weiner in early October, U.S. law enforcement officials said. Weiner is Abedin's estranged husband and is being probed about alleged sexting with a purportedly underage girl.

Technical experts at the FBI began procedures to catalogue the emails found on one of the computers and soon found emails belonging to Abedin. The discovery surprised investigators, triggering legal issues because the search warrant was limited to the sexting case. That's why the Justice Department sought the new search warrant.
Senior officials at the FBI, including Andrew McCabe, the FBI deputy director, were briefed on the issue. By mid-October, Comey learned investigators in the Weiner case might have found something that could have an impact on the now-closed probe into Hillary Clinton's private email server, according to one law enforcement official.
Comey was told investigators were still trying to figure out how many emails existed and their pertinence to the Clinton probe.
Senior Justice Department officials were briefed on the situation about a week ago and Comey was given a full briefing Thursday, the officials said, triggering his decision to notify members of Congress Friday that the FBI was reviewing emails potentially related to Clinton's server.
The news regarding the timing of the computer's seizure was first reported Sunday by The Washington Post.
Comey's notification to Congress of the review is rocking the final days of the presidential race. Democrats are furious that Comey would revive the explosive issue of Clinton's email server so close to the election. Donald Trump, meanwhile, is seizing on the review after spending weeks on the defense, hoping it will be a potent issue he can ride until the end of the contest.
Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta blasted Comey on Sunday for disclosing the review.
"He might have taken the first step of actually having looked at them before he did this in the middle of a presidential campaign, so close to the voting," Podesta said on CNN's "State of the Union."
Abedin hasn't spoken publicly about the newly found emails.
"The possibility that this device contains any emails of hers is news to her," a source familiar with the investigation and civil litigation told CNN. "The device supposedly at issue now belonged to Anthony, not her."
Pence praises, Kaine criticizes FBI director
The computer in question is considered to belong to Weiner.
Prior to obtaining the warrant, investigators saw enough of the emails to determine that they appeared pertinent to the previously completed investigation and that they may be emails not previously reviewed.
Agents saw enough of the emails that they believed there could be classified information and that it warranted further inquiry, law enforcement sources told CNN.
Because they didn't have a warrant specific to Abedin's emails, officials weren't able to further examine them. Justice Department and FBI officials view Abedin as cooperative with the investigation.
FBI officials don't yet know how many of the emails are duplicates of emails they already have reviewed as part of the Clinton email server investigation and whether any of them may contain classified information.
Investigators believe it's likely the newly recovered trove will include emails that were deleted from the Clinton server before the FBI took possession of it as part of that earlier investigation.
FBI officials expect they have to interview Abedin again after they have gone through the emails.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that talks between the Department of Justice and Abedin's lawyers were underway. They are not.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 31 Oct 2016 07:11

What these tubelights have not figured out is that there IS a correlation between the sexting of pictures of Weinie-e-Weiner and the presence of 100s of 1000s of US Govt emails on Weiner's computer. The ***** pictures are the medium by which messages are sent to the ISIS/ Al Qaeda. I think there is a 100% correlation between these two stories.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 31 Oct 2016 07:11

UlanBatori wrote:How does someone keep "hundreds of thousands" of emails? Don't they ever use the trash folder or empty their trash? Imagine if these ppl start ruling the country: the WHOTUS will be one huge RAID array.

Hubris. The CCF and ~~kangress~~Democrats are so sure of winning they think they can do anything as they have Obama's DoJ and presstitutes in their pockets. This causes them to be very sloppy.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 31 Oct 2016 07:55

Have not followed this thread for teh past few days, so pardon if this has been posted earlier.

Huma had told Congress that she had handed over ALL her emails. This latest discovery could become a serious problem for her. To the extent she could potentially see the inside of a jail.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 31 Oct 2016 08:14

Old Donkey starts braying

Sure sign that there is MAJOR disturbance/ lots of dung in the donkey stable. Attacking the head of the FBI is really not a good strategy, esp. when his boss and boss^2 are of ur own party. Good way to biss off the rank and file of the Free Biscuits.
Wonder if they have investigated the other end of the message chain: was the "underaged" recipient of the wienie-ul-wiener pictures entirely innocent, or a willing conduit for messages used in insider trading?
Besides, the Russia angle is nonsense.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 31 Oct 2016 08:51

NRao wrote:Have not followed this thread for teh past few days, so pardon if this has been posted earlier.

Huma had told Congress that she had handed over ALL her emails. This latest discovery could become a serious problem for her. To the extent she could potentially see the inside of a jail.

Yup. Obstruction of justice. Two separate issues here though. One is the mishandling of classified and confidential information the second being a conspiracy to hide data that is part of an FBI investigation. There were 650,000 emails on Weiner's laptop which are unknown if they are duplicates or original correspondence. Of which several thousand may be from HRC's personal email server that was wiped clean prior to the FBI investigation. This is why Comey had to respond to congressional committee heads. The volume is simply huge and he couldn't ignore it. Literally the elephant in the room.

FBI Internal Fued

So we may have an obstruction of justice and conspiracy by not only Huma Abedin, but from HRC and ALL of her staff including Cheryl Mills, Heather Samuelson, John Bentel, Bryan Pagliano, Paul Combetta, John Podesta, and Nera Tandon. They all need to go into a lock up and face enhanced interrogation (the 3rd degree) to reveal what information has been provided to Al Qaeda and ISIS.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 31 Oct 2016 09:28

One BR punching bag just may go off stage:

Email Probe Leaves Future Role of Huma Abedin in Question

Huma Abedin has been by Hillary Clinton’s side for 20 years, since she was a White House intern assigned to the first lady’s office. There has never been much question that if Mrs. Clinton returned to the White House as president, Ms. Abedin would come too.

Now with Ms. Abedin again part of unwelcome attention, even some Democrats are wondering if Mrs. Clinton might be forced to rethink Ms. Abedin’s role if she is elected president, and whether a cloud would linger over her if Ms. Abedin were to take a senior White House job, as has long been expected.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said Friday it had found additional emails potentially related to the probe, completed this summer, of Mrs. Clinton’s private server when she was secretary of state. The new emails come from a laptop that investigators believe was used by Ms. Abedin and her estranged husband, former Rep. Anthony Weiner, and were found during an investigation of Mr. Weiner for allegedly exchanging sexually explicit text messages and photos with a 15-year-old girl.

Ms. Abedin now finds herself as a central character in a late-breaking drama that has added an unpredictable—and, for Mrs. Clinton, risky—factor into what many people in both parties saw as an election heading toward a Clinton victory.

Some Democrats said Sunday they had no doubt Mrs. Clinton would bring Ms. Abedin with her to the White House. Others said her future may depend on what the renewed investigation finds. It is possible the emails are purely personal, were already turned over to investigators, or are duplicates of messages already examined, meaning the long-term damage to Mrs. Clinton—and Ms. Abedin—may be minimal.

More serious findings could have more significant ramifications. And the process of reading the messages, which may number in the thousands, will take weeks and won’t be completed until well after Election Day.

Democrats point to Mrs. Clinton’s loyalty to her friends and staff, many of whom have been with her for years. Ms. Abedin, who is said to be personally closer to the candidate than any other adviser, is often described as akin to a second daughter.
More on Election 2016

On the campaign, Ms. Abedin has been involved in anything involving Mrs. Clinton personally, including speeches, statements, meetings and debate preparation. She manages the candidate’s large network of contacts and serves as gatekeeper, determining who and what gets through to her.

“She’s played a central and vital role in this campaign,” Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union. “And she continues to do that and continues to do her work running our overall scheduling and advance operation, being a confidante to senior people in the campaign, and traveling with Hillary.”

Ms. Abedin wasn’t on the road this weekend, but is expected to return to Mrs. Clinton’s side in coming days.

At rallies this weekend, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump repeatedly mentioned Ms. Abedin by name. “Is she going to keep Huma?” Mr. Trump asked Saturday in Golden, Colo. “Huma’s been a problem. Do we agree? Huma. Huma’s been a problem. I wonder if Huma’s going to stay there.”

The timing of this disclosure, just days before the election, is particularly uncomfortable for Ms. Abedin. But it isn’t the first time she has been under scrutiny, and it is far from her first public embarrassment.

Because she had a personal email address on the Clinton family server, conservative groups have been able to obtain, through lawsuits, all of Ms. Abedin’s correspondence. They have also gotten many of her emails from her State Department account. Several of them show Clinton Foundation officials asking her for favors.

That has led Mr. Trump to charge that there was a “pay to play” scheme at work, in which supporters of the foundation may have obtained favors from the department. Mrs. Clinton’s campaign has said her decisions as secretary of state were unrelated to requests from the foundation and its supporters.

Ms. Abedin also has been under investigation by Sen. Charles Grassley (R., Iowa) for an arrangement under the Special Government Employee program, which allowed her to simultaneously work for the State Department, Mrs. Clinton personally, the Clinton Foundation and a private consulting firm called Teneo, which was founded in part by a former foundation official.

The program was created to allow agencies to give short-term jobs to individuals from the private sector with a particular expertise, and Mr. Grassley has argued that using it in Ms. Abedin’s case was an abuse.

The State Department has said Ms. Abedin’s work for Teneo was unrelated to her work for the government, and that her outside employment while at State was arranged so the government wouldn’t be paying her for work she did charting Mrs. Clinton’s post-State career.

But the actions of Mr. Weiner, whom Ms. Abedin married in 2010, are the most personal and likely the most painful public controversy she has confronted. In 2011, the New York lawmaker resigned from Congress after admitting he had sent salacious photos and messages over the internet to other women. Ms. Abedin, who was pregnant at the time, opted to stay with him, and was by his side in 2013 when he attempted a political comeback. During his campaign for mayor of New YorkCity, it was disclosed that he had continued exchanging sexually explicit messages with other women after he left Congress—a story chronicled in a documentary that Ms. Abedin participated in, which was released this summer.

The New York Post reported this summer that Mr. Weiner had sent yet another provocative picture, this time sending a photo of himself in his underwear to a woman while their 4-year-old son was lying next to him in bed. After that, Ms. Abedin announced she was leaving him.

In September, the FBI opened its investigation of him after a report that he had exchanged messages with a minor. It was that probe that led to the discovery of the new emails and, ultimately, to Friday’s announcement, a development that is rocking the campaign of the woman to whom Ms. Abedin has devoted her career.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 31 Oct 2016 09:37

Robby Mook Spent Sunday Throwing Huma Abedin Under The Bus