By Bonchie
It didn’t take long for the hot takes to start flowing after the DOJ indicted Donald Trump on charges of mishandling classified documents, conspiracy, and obstruction. Conservatives rightfully lashed out at the clear politicization being shown by the Biden administration in targeting a chief political rival.
But on the other side, there was jubilation. Comically large discussion panels appeared on MSNBC and CNN lauding the greatness of special counsel Jack Smith. Democrat politicians rattled on about how “no one is above the law.”
Then there was Hillary Clinton. I’m not exaggerating when I say this may be the most shameless thing I’ve ever seen in politics. Truly, this is next-level, hall-of-fame stuff.
There are so many layers here that it’s hard to know where to start. First off, this twice-failed presidential candidate is actually trying to fundraise off the indictment of a political opponent. If she were trying to provide evidence we live in a banana republic, what would she be doing differently? Second, she’s actually bragging about the fact that she got away with a crime she should have been charged with and sent to jail for. There’s no fear of accountability at all. It’s grotesque.
To be clear, for those with short memories, Hillary Clinton was dead to rights back in 2016 when the details of her private email server became known. She stripped classified markings off of government documents, uploaded them to a personal server kept in her bathroom, had those emails make their way onto a convicted sex offender’s laptop, and then when she got caught, she tried to destroy all the evidence that was being sought by the FBI. Remember “bleach bit?”
There has never been a more open-and-shut case under the Espionage Act since it was passed. The only reason she wasn’t charged is because then FBI Dir. James Comey took it upon himself to literally rewrite the statute in real time to suggest “no reasonable prosecutor” would pursue the case. That was always a lie, and it remains a lie today.
When covering Trump’s latest indictment, it’s important to remember why it’s so egregious. It’s not that Jack Smith hasn’t built a good case. I hate to say it, and a lot of people aren’t going to want to accept it, but the details of the indictment are extremely serious. Unless there’s some last-second twist, Trump is facing a near certainty of conviction. But he shouldn’t be because this prosecution is happening in the shadow of a DOJ and FBI that has let multiple high-level Democrats walk for committing similar crimes.