EDITOR’S NOTE: Bob Moras who went to Wayland High School in the Class of 1966 until he moved to Alpena in 1964, has penned this column about the latest developments in Hillary Clinton’s e-mails saga.
What a crazy 
week it was for Hillary and Bill Clinton. Bill gets on a plane with the Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who unloads her responsibility for making a decision to or not to indict Hillary. Hillary visits FBI on Saturday of a holiday weekend. The FBI wraps up its case against Hillary and makes a television news conference, revealing all Hillary’s lies and criminal violations, then recommends no further action (indictment).
Does this not all seem a little contrived and hurried along? Well, it does to me. I am sure many others share this opinion as well. It just seems a little too pat, with a few oddities to complement the outcome.
First, two lawyers, one of which was a federal judge and now Attorney General, both knowing all the legal rules and etiquette regarding the meeting of persons involved in a legal investigation, meet on a private plane, with no staff, except for FBI Agents telling onlookers no pictures or videos were allowed. All because Bill Clinton and Loretta Lynch want to discuss grandkids and golf?
Now it gets interesting. The Attorney General of the United States relinquishes her power (or duty) to determine if the facts of an ongoing FBI investigation should be prosecuted, by stating her determination to follow whatever recommendation comes from the FBI Director (James Comey), whose job it is, is to investigate and enforce the law, not also be judge and jury.
On Tuesday, July 5, the director of the FBI, on television, lists all the legal infractions pertaining to Hillary’s use of a private e-mail server for classified information. As well as all the lies she told the public, while the investigation was ongoing. After all that, he recommends that no further action is required (indictment or grand jury review)?
Then the argument begins, along with all the questions. But after the FBI Director finished his report to the public, he immediately left the podium, without taking any questions. One of which was, “After 13 minutes of outlining all the violations of state department rules and law, why is no further action, found to be necessary?”
Along with that question was the beginning of the growth of outrage for what was opined to be a total miscarriage of justice by an FBI Director, touted to be a man of integrity.
Now comes the point of all this information I have just rehashed, my opinion of all this (or several, if you will).
First, this was all planned and choreographed as neatly as a professional wrestling match. Is it just coincidental that several of the activities noted were accompanied by the comment, “What was he/she thinking?” A coincidence that Bill and Loretta met privately about a week before all this was resolved? A coincidence that Hillary was accorded a holiday weekend visit for questioning by the FBI? A coincidence that Hillary and Barack Obama were on Air Force One, on a campaign trip for Hillary, two hours after the FBI disclosure and dismissal of any further legal action? Just too many coincidences for me (or for any good detective for that matter).
Now about the Director of the FBI. As Henry Lee (remember the OJ Trial) would say, “Something is wrong here.” The second most common question/statement after why did he do that, was how could he do that or “I don’t believe he did that.” Many also said they were disappointed and felt he (James Comey) not only violated their trust in him, but acted totally out of character.
Well, here is an opinion you might consider. Mr. Comey probably objected to having the Hot Potato of making a recommendation about whether further legal action was to be initiated. After all, that is not his job. He is to investigate and enforce, period, according to his job description. So, he was in a position to deal. And the deal was, he got to reveal all he found out, prior to making the recommendation thrust upon him.
Now the question is, why would he want to do that? Well, let’s go back to his reputation as a man of integrity. What James Comey probably knew was this: If he recommended that a grand jury review his findings or an indictment were recommended, all the information gathered would be held secret by the Attorney General, as evidence in a possible trial. What he also knew was that there would never be a trial, even if further legal action was recommended by him. So, he fell on his sword. He did this so that the public would know what the findings were. And in essence, he convicted Hillary without a formal trial and made the public aware of all the facts of the investigation. He did this while sacrificing a portion of his perceived integrity and honor.
So, now comes my last opinion. James Comey is a Hero and not a Villain, in this instance. Those so ready to pillory him, just have not given all this enough thought. If there is a villain, it is Loretta Lynch. James Comey made a recommendation. The honorable thing for the Attorney General would have been to take this to the Grand Jury and let them decide. She had the ultimate authority for that decision, recomnendation or not. Instead, she diminished herself by meeting with Bill Clinton and then hiding behind the farce of a law enforcement officer, dictating her responsibility to her, just so she could avoid her sworn obligation to uphold the duties of her office.
Plenty of clowns in this circus act, but I just don’t believe James Comey is one of them.
You are correct, by initiating a Grand Jury and if they decided, yes, there was evidence of all he discovered and told the American people about, the evidence would disappear until such time a trial was held. Many service members and bureaucrats have been convicted on much less evidence than what was conveyed by Comey. Petreaus and his mistress both had clearances to handle the information he admitted he passed on to her, she didn’t have a “need to know”, that’s what got Petreaus in hot water.
Other than brain dead Democrats (which there are many) voting for Mrs. Clinton because she has a “D” by her name, thinking Americans will digest what Comey said and must come to the conclusion Mrs. Clinton (and her husband) have not only put the country in jeopardy by mishandling classified material, but trying to influence those in the decision making process. The Clintons, according to Democrat leaders and those supporting her are saying to the American people that the Clintons are above the law.
I hope Trump uses the sound bites for the next four months to show the thinking people not only what a poor leader she is and will be, incompetent in every position she’s held, but also show what a crooked, lying and elitist she and her husband were and are. The charges can be initiated at a later time.
Mr. Moras,
Well written.
Thank you.