FBI’s charge against Hillary Clinton changed from ‘gross negligence’ to ‘reckless disregard’ to shield her from criminal charges
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) questioned the results of the Department of Justice Inspector General’s report at a Senate Judiciary hearing on Monday, specifically the protection of Hillary Clinton during a heated presidential run. Michael Horowitz was questioned about changes to the language of her classified email handlings from “gross negligence” to “reckless disregard.”
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In fact, the phrase “extremely careless” was used instead of the phrase “grossly negligent,” which has criminal implications.
“Can I just suggest something? ‘Gross negligence’ is a criminally liable standard. If they had said it the way they originally wrote it, she is guilty of a crime,” Graham said. “If you want to stop him, it can’t be ‘gross negligence.’ What is the difference between ‘reckless disregard’ and ‘gross negligence?'”
“Not much,” Michael Horowitz replied.
“It is a lot politically,” Graham said.
“There is evidence to support a conclusion that Secretary Clinton, and others, used the email server in a manner that was grossly negligent with respect to the handling of classified information,” reads the statement from one of former FBI director James Comey’s earliest drafts dated May 2, 2016.
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The sources who had seen the early draft, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The language changed in red-line edits on or around June 10 to conclude that the handling of 110 emails containing classified information that were transmitted by Clinton and her aides over her insecure personal email server was “extremely careless.”
Check out the clip below.
Memos show that at least three top FBI officials were involved in helping Comey fashion and edit the statement, including Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, General Counsel James Baker and chief of staff Jim Rybicki.
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday evening sent a letter to current FBI Director Christopher Wray demanding the FBI identify who made the changes and why.
Graham asked. “If they found Hillary Clinton was criminally liable that paves the way for Donald Trump. Can you put those two things together?”
After quibbling about the time of the messages, Horowitz said, “It clearly could, conceivably.”
“Not only ‘clearly conceivably,’ that is exactly what is happening here, folks,” Graham replied. “You cannot hold her criminally liable and ‘stop’ him.”
Fox News anchor Shannon Bream spoke with Sen. Graham who explained that “They changed the memo that Comey read to the country on July the 5th. They took the word ‘grossly negligent’ out and put ‘extremely careless.’ I always wondered why. ‘Grossly negligent’ is a legal term that would make you subject to ten years in prison for grossly negligently handling classified information… The reason they changed that word is that they would have to indict Clinton if they did not change the term.”
Graham told Bream that “somebody’s lying” between former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe and FBI agent Peter Strzok and Page regarding a meeting they allegedly had during the election.
“If the #2 guy in the FBI had a meeting with Page and Strzok in his office to find out how to create an ‘insurance policy’ against Trump being elected, that is abuse of the highest level of the government,” Graham continued. “That is Watergate stuff. That’s what the FBI used to do years ago and I want to get to the bottom of it.”
