JK on Clinton emails

[karynnj]

30. Looking back over the entire story, there has to be a fascinating back story that we may never learn

I saw this a long time ago, but hesitated in posting it. It is the back story of the NYT writer who first wrote the story. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/20/new-york-times-clinton-email-scoop_n_6911502.html

I may be making incorrect inferences, but between this and the original story, it would seem that his source or sources were almost certainly from the State Department - even though they are not mentioned in the speculation. My reasoning is that they say that neither this committee or any previous committee was aware that Clinton used a private email -- and they said the State Department had not told them that - apparently even when they gave them the 300 emails. That lack of knowledge - if real and as they now take credit for forcing this info out it almost certainly was - means it was not them.

In the NYT article itself, there was mention of some heavy duty negotiating with Clinton to get the emails. In the article, it is clear that the negotiating was in spring 2104 and they did not get the emails until fall 2014. (That and there was the cover of asking all prior Secretaries of State). To me, this suggests that 1) It may have taken them much of the first year to see that they really did not have what they needed. If they knew she had a private email, they likely were told -- as the country was after the NYT story -- that all work emails hit the State.gov server - which would not have been hard to set up on the outbound side and there WERE HRC emails that were put out - even when she was SoS that went to people on State.gov. 2)When they figured out they were missing email, the State Department probably had little or no leverage over Clinton to get the emails. The NYT article mention the demands went up to Kerry's chief of staff (David Wade). I suspect their ONLY leverage was that someone would have been willing to go public if it were not done. 3) Clinton's reluctance likely continued and led to the idiotic giving the emails on paper.

To me, this suggests that his source was likely someone in the State Department working on the FOIA or committee requests who was really angry about the situation that Clinton put them in. It could have been a career professional or someone committed to current secretary and working hard to avoid him and his team being involved in a coverup -- on an issue where there really is nothing to cover-up! (Remember that the article made a big point that Kerry was using State.gov and that they pushed to get the emails back - both distancing this term's secretary.)

As you said, JK is handling this just right. Cooperation is exactly the right thing to do - even if it means that every time the SD people state that they only have HRC's word that their cache is complete is taken as not defending her. Her actions here are not defensible. Delegating this to the professionals is also exactly right - and leaves him to use his brain on the real important things that he is working on - from Iran to climate change to things that might lead to a more peaceful world. Even with his broken leg, he looks so happy and at peace with himself especially when he spoke of work with China on climate change -- and the same goes for our incredible President, who just had an amazingly awesome week. As you noted when he was on a Sunday talk show, he seemed very happy that he is outside politics at this point. (which I assume includes being outside any tawdry effort to defend Clinton on this.