Officials: New Top Secret Clinton Emails "Innocuous"

[Justice]

Source: NBC News


"The classified material included in the latest batch of Hillary Clinton emails flagged by an internal watchdog involved discussions of CIA drone strikes, which are among the worst kept secrets in Washington, senior U.S. officials briefed on the matter tell NBC News."

"The description of the emails as relatively innocuous came from officials, including a senior U.S. intelligence official, who believe Inspector General McCullough has been unfair to Clinton in his handling of the issue. They say McCullough and Congressional Republicans have elevated a mundane dispute about classification into a scandal.

They point out that McCullough, a career intelligence official, contributed $1,000 to George W. Bush's 2004 presidential campaign."

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/officials-new-top-secret-clinton-emails-innocuous-n500586

[TM99]

1. That is not how classified documents are

determined.

Everyone in DC might know something to be true, but if it is marked top secret, you don't fucking share it. You don't put in on an insecure server.

If I or any peon had done that, there would be zero question as to whether we would be in serious trouble & most likely prosecuted.

That Clinton is yet again above the law is just another fucking reason among many to not want that woman any where near the White House ever again.

[LanternWaste]

4. In 2004, President Bush's favorite foods was listed as 'classified.'

In 2004, President Bush's favorite foods was listed as 'classified.' "Don't fucking share it. You don't put in on an insecure server." Giggle.

That aside, so many little minds are revealing their hobgoblins via a foolish consistency.

[Bernin]

5. I imagine

that after 23000 + posts even the smallest minds would realize that the title does not need to be repeated EVERYTIME in the body of the post.

[draa]

16. Lol, and welcome to DU.

[eggplant]

12. So now Classified is the same as Top Secret? n/t

[angrychair]

15. No

Not sure what the IG report says but intelligence and DOD often generically refer to data as "classified", regardless of its level (think saying "yea I'll take a coke" but mean it generically that you want a soda). In many DOD or intelligence circles it's almost always top secret with little secret and anyone your dealing with you either know and work with and know their clearance or everyone has a badge, often color-coded and most have top secret clearance, so it's all the same.

What happened is known as data spillage. Sometimes it is minor( low risk), sometimes it's not. Drone operations are not my area so I have little to add.
The first story, breaking this discovery, got on my nerves by using the phrase "higher than top secret", in DoD terms, there is no such thing. There is compartmented data (SLI and SAP within DOD and Intel) but that is top secret. The others are just need to know, limited audience and have more to do with how the data is managed and handled.

This story gets on my nerves because it mentions the IG political giving as a way to discredit the source. This makes it suspect and overtly political in nature. Its more of a spin piece than an actual story.

Rarely does mishandling classified data (data spillage), of any classification, not result in some sort of repercussion (termination of employment, loss of sponsorship (i.e. loss of security clearance - always the result if a defense contractor), permanent loss of ability to get clearance, sometimes jail, sometimes all of the above.

Senior personal are often held to high standards. Its hard to maintain security protocol discipline if others see senior officials not being held to the same standards.

I don't know enough to have an informed opinion on this specific case. I just know how it works in the real world.

[eggplant]

20. My post was in response to an intentional misquote

They substituted Classified (generic) for Top Secret (specific). It was obnoxious and misleading, and deserved to be called out.

[angrychair]

21. Got you

I agree.Found both articles to be misleading in their own ways.

[pugetres]

27. Classified?

Or, are you forgetting the silliness that surrounded Papa Bush' hatred of broccoli? I'm sure that junior was asked about his favorite veggie after his pop's jokes and his choices were labelled "classified" as a continuation of that joke.

Giggle.

[TwilightGardener]

23. Exactly. Anonymous officials are trying to water down the nature of what was on her server--

but they can't share the info. Because it's classified. No one else gets treated like this.

[Roland99]

2. Oh, I'm sure.

[Dawson Leery]

3. McCullough must be one of those Cheney stay behinds.

[Wilms]

7. Obama nominee.

How's that bipartisany stuff working out?

[randome]

6. Yet another scandal evaporates. Ho-hum.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]No squirrels were harmed in the making of this post. Yet.[/center][/font][hr]

[Justice]

8. IG's actual letter is intentionally vague. Fox News got it first and slanted the story

I am for the truth as much as anyone but this is not it.

[Kingofalldems]

9. But but all the Clinton haters from last night said...

She is evil!! ( In so many words)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141318957

[tblue37]

10. K&R. nt

[Kingofalldems]

13. Kick and rec.

[vkkv]

14. Too many Republican A-HOLES in this country.

They are ruining our nation with greed, hate, paranoia and want for power.

[Stimoyo]

17. The right wingers and certain other wingers try to exaggerate the email issue

For their convenience.

[Gothmog]

18. This is old news

There is nothing new here

[Eric the Drunk]

19. Much ado about doo-doo

Senator Sanders was right: Hillary's "damn emails" are a non-issue.

[TwilightGardener]

22. So innocuous, that it has to be redacted and classified. I love the attempts to say

"oh, it's nothing" but then they can't BY LAW discuss it publicly. She broke the law.

[MariaThinks]

24. where are the Hillary bashers or dislikers now?

She has been so busy. There will be stuff out there when you are as prolific as her.

[leveymg]

25. Innocuous is still classified. It's a felony to place classified info on a private server. Period.

"Innocuous" is also one anonymous high official's opinion, and may not even be remotely accurate. All we know is that dozens of emails on the unauthorized, insecure Clinton server contain TS/SAP materials.

If she were anyone else, HRC would have been indicted by now.

[Beacool]

26. That's why I didn't participate in yesterday's slug-fest.

I find it ironic that the same RW talking points that FOX disseminated to other media are extolled on a DEMOCRATIC site as fact. More and more have gone down the rabbit hole.

It's a parallel world......

[TipTok]

28. You just have to point out which points are untrue...

The argument seems to be that everyone was doing it so she should get a pass as well...

[Nihil]

29. Convenient headline for the "forgive Her all her sins" brigade ...

... when the actual phrase was "relatively innocuous".

"Innocuous" <> "Relatively innocuous"

"Innocuous" << "Top Secret"


The fact remains that the material was classified as "Top Secret" and
above means that disclosing it is an offence - hence why it is never
posted in any of these trivialising "defence arguments" - and the
manner in which she stored it is not just a "right-wing conspiracy".


"It's Alright If You're A Member Of The Plutarchy"