Report: FBI Escalates 'Full Blown Investigation' Into Hillary's Unsecure Email Server

Townhall.com ^ | November 10, 2015 | Guy Benson

[Kaslin]

Hillary Clinton's top Democratic "rival" may believe that people are sick of hearing about her "damn emails," but that pronouncement -- since walked back, as its issuer fades in the polls -- evidently does not apply to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Politico reports that the bureau's probe into Clinton's improper, unsecure email scheme has been ramping up, not petering out:

Even as Hillary Clinton tries to put questions about her private email server behind her, the FBI has stepped up inquiries into the security of the former Secretary of State's home-made email system, and how aides communicated over email, POLITICO has learned. The FBI's recent moves suggest that its inquiry could have evolved from the preliminary fact-finding stage that the agency launches when it receives a credible referral, according to former FBI and DOJ officials interviewed by POLITICO. "This sounds to me like it's more than a preliminary inquiry; it sounds like a full-blown investigation," said Tom Fuentes, former assistant director of the FBI. "When you have this amount of resources going into it. I think it's at the investigative level." The FBI declined to respond to questions about the scope of its ongoing work. But POLITICO learned that the FBI around early October requested documents from a company involved in the server arrangement after Clinton left State. It also interviewed a former high-ranking policy official at State about the contents of top Clinton aides' emails. The official, who spoke to POLITICO on the condition of anonymity, said the questions explored whether anyone at State was concerned about classified information being put at risk by communicating over email. The source did not know of any such concerns...Former FBI and Justice officials familiar with the investigative procedures on such matters said the agency must determine two main things: whether the use of an outside email system posed any risks to national security secrets and if so, if anyone was responsible for exposing classified information.

The FBI will do its job, but we already know the answers to some of these questions. In just the last few days, the Washington Free Beaconhas published a series of scoops based on Freedom of Information Act requests filed by the Competitive Enterprise Institute. As we detailed yesterday, one document -- signed by Clinton --confirms that the Secretary of State was explicitly aware that "negligent handling" of highly sensitive information constitutes a grave risk to US interests, and that such material must be carefully guarded regardlessof whether or not it is "marked" classified. Experts say the very existence of Clinton's private server violated "clear cut" State Department rules and violated government policy, according to a federal judge appointed by Clinton's husband. Its comprehensively inadequate security was jaw-dropping, as was the manner in which it was handed over to private storage companies whose employees were not cleared to handle the type of classified material it contained. Another just-revealed memo from 2011 shows the State Department's top security official urgently warning of "a dramatic increase in attempts by [redacted] to compromise the private home e-mail accounts of senior [State] Department officials." In that letter, Eric Boswell writes that at least these hacking efforts are targeting "unclassified personal email accounts," apparently unaware that Clinton used her unsecure system to send and receive hundreds of classified emails. A separate memo spelled out severe concerns about the profound vulnerability of non-State Department-issued mobile devices like the ones Clinton exclusively used.

Clearly, some officials at State were very much "concerned about classified information being put at risk by communicating over email." One trusts that the FBI will read the memos described above, rather than simply relying on their source who reportedly pled ignorance on security-related red flags. Hillary Clinton knew the risks, she knew the policies, and she knew her duties. Yet she blithely carried on, sending hundreds of classified emails through a woefully under-protected private server that lacked any encryption for a period of months. Some of the material she sent and received has been deemed "top secret" and "secret" by the US intelligence community. Clinton's oft-recalibrated excuse is that these messages were not "marked classified at the time," a distinction she's already personally attested is meaningless. Parting thought: If and when the political fixers at Barack Obama's hopelessly compromised Justice Department ensure that Hillary Clinton is not indicted, how long will it take honorable, truth-minded career civil servants at the FBI to start leaking? I'll leave you with Hugh Hewitt keeping his eye on the ball:

Hewitt discusses Free Beacon story about Hillary Clinton's NDA signing on 'Meet the Press'

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

That absolutely means their investigation goes nowhere.

“Interviewed by Politico”? Got it.

[Don Corleone]

If it gets into the hands of the JUST US department its DOA.

[Bullish]

The so called “smartest woman in the world” appears to actually be one of the world’s dumbest.

[Red Badger]

All for show......................

[ScottinVA]

“Full-blown investigation” for... what?

Is there some idiotic idea that something will actually come of all this posturing?

[FES0844]

Just going through the motions. She’ll come out smelling like a rose.

[Slyfox]

Have I been hearing Hillary on the radio calling for all candidates to go through a criminal vetting before they can run for office?

Or am I dreaming?

[Lake Living]

I know I am cynical but couldn’t this be so that “later” the Dems could say, “See the FBI did a thorough investigation and found nothing!” Even if true, with this Just-Us Dept. what would happen? At worst, Joe Biden jumps back in.

[fwdude]

Considering where the full-blown FBI investigation with the flagrant IRS violations by Lois Lerner went, I’m not optimistic.

[fwdude]

The so called “smartest woman in the world” appears to actually be one of the world’s dumbest.

Don't be so sure. Getting way with red-handed murder isn't so dumb.

[blueunicorn6]

I have noticed that some people have their state flag on their homepage here at Free Republic.

I think that a white flag should be made available for the homepage of those Freepers who want to surrender to the Democrats.

[tumblindice]

Another blown investigation. Way to go feebs!

[dem bums]

That absolutely means their investigation goes nowhere.

I think you're right. They are conducting a "full-blown investigation" so that they can later say "After a full-blown investigation, we found no wrongdoing of any kind by Secretary Clinton."

The outcome of this "investigation" is obvious to anyone who has paid attention to the Clintons for the past 25+ years.

[Paladin2]

Day late, Billion$ short....

[gaijin]

BOOM..!

BREAKING!

EXTRA BOMBSHELL..!

SUPER SHOCK..!

/s

[ThomasThomas]

They will find nothing to charge her with about 11 months from now.

[Liz]

When Hillary got the SoS job she was briefed WRT handling classified info.

====================================

As FReeper Serkit posted:

<><> Was malware or antivirus also on the server?

<><> Was the inherent firewall, virus protection, or operating system upgraded, managed, and secured?

<><> Any incidents reported such as DOS attack, hacking, etc.? What were they? How were they resolved?

<><> Other than arranging for the server to be moved from NY to NJ, what was the Denver company contracted to do in relation to maintaining the server?

<><> What tangible evidence is there that the server arrived in functioning condition, was being used as an email server, was “upgraded, managed, and secured”, then wiped just prior to seizure by the FBI?

<><> Were normal and regular backup procedures executed on the server, and where would the back ups be kept?

<><> If no backups were taken, was there a disaster recovery location?

<><> Where was that? If no backups and no disaster recovery, what was the plan if the equipment failed or found to have been wiped of any functionality?

<><> Were any foreign nationals employed at Platte River Networks, or at Datto, that had access to the Clinton server?

[timestax]

"News Media" gots her back!

[SecondAmendment]

Obama will use the FBI to knock her out when it’s too late to find a replacement and he will then “graciously step in” to “save the country from going backwards” by getting a third term ...