Please, FBI — you're our last hope: The Democratic Party’s future rests upon your probe of Hillary Clinton’s emails

Columnist and Bernie Sanders supporter states his case in an open letter to FBI chief James Comey

Published April 27, 2016 4:30PM (EDT)

Hillary Clinton   (AP/Tony Dejak)
Hillary Clinton (AP/Tony Dejak)

To the Honorable James B. Comey, Jr. and all the good people at the Federal Bureau of Investigation,

The majority of the Democratic Party does not believe there is an ongoing FBI criminal investigation regarding Hillary Clinton’s emails. They believe, as the former Secretary of State has told them, that your work is merely a “security review,” or as one Democratic strategist call it, “another BS scandal.” Your work, thus far, has been relegated to yet another “witch hunt.” In fact, Clinton and her campaign have managed to convince millions that former secretaries of state did the same thing, which of course isn’t true.

Also, an interesting brand of logic has been used to rationalize ignoring your email investigation. While the number of agents working on this case is said to have been around 100, some voters have actually taken solace in the fact recent reports only list dozens. Only a dozen FBI agents, say loyal supporters, isn’t that big of a deal.

Since your investigation has taken so long, many people believe that nothing has been found, or simply that Clinton is too powerful to face any serious repercussions. Any attempt to warn people that Hillary Clinton could realistically face criminal indictments is either viewed as a Republican scare tactic, or lunacy. Even many Bernie Sanders supporters, a group that would benefit the most from the FBI recommending indictment of Clinton, feel it’s either disloyal, or pointless to bring up the email controversy. The massive group think within the Democratic Party, fostered by years of circumventing political scandals, has literally altered the mindset of normally rational individuals, and voters.

To a great many people, there is simply nothing Hillary Clinton can do wrong; even FBI investigations are merged with Republican Benghazi hearings.

Ultimately, your hard work, and your investigation into Clinton’s email server and correspondence, is viewed as a big, fat “nothingberger.” As Esquire’s Charles Pierce writes, "The great Hillary email nothingburger is still on the grill, and it’s certainly overcooked." Sadly, the FBI has become part of a satirical narrative centered upon Clinton being the victim of never-ending Republican attacks.

It’s important for everyone at the FBI to know that your investigation, and I say this with all due respect, is viewed as a source of amusement for many writers, pundits, and observers loyal to Clinton. The 22 Top Secret emails on a private server (something that should disqualify anyone running for president) are either completely ignored by party faithful, or rationalized by twisted logic. Nothing is taken seriously anymore; everything is viewed through the belief that Republicans are worse, therefore Clinton’s indiscretions are meaningless.

This should tell you something about the state of our Republic. This should also tell you something about the rule of law in our country. If anyone else in the U.S. government owned a private server storing Top Secret intelligence, for the sake of “convenience,” they’d be in jail. Lt. General Michael Flynn made that case on CNNw ith Jake Tapper.

The mere notion that Hillary Clinton could face criminal indictments is simply unrealistic to many voters, and I explain here what the Clinton campaign and supporters think of you and your organization. There used to be a time in U.S. history when FBI investigations were bad for campaigns; now it’s not even a speed bump for the former Secretary of State.

While I’ve stated on this CNN International appearance that Clinton could face indictment, and in a CNN New Day appearance that Clinton manages to continually circumvent scandal, only the FBI can resolve this grandiose issue.

Our country is getting closer to electing a person, under FBI investigation for potential misconduct pertaining to classified documents, that will have complete access to every single American intelligence agency.

When Univision’s Jorge Ramos asked Clinton “If you get indicted, will you drop out?” the former Secretary of State’s answer spoke volumes. She responded, “Oh, for goodness — that’s not going to happen.” The audience then cheered, for a response that no other American citizen would give to a question regarding possible DOJ indictment.

I’m not saying that people should fear the FBI. I’m saying people should respect the FBI. At this point, Bernie Sanders is the only Democratic candidate not linked to an FBI investigation, yet Clinton is leading in delegates. This dynamic would never take place in any other leading democracy. If David Cameron had been investigated by MI5, rest assured the British would never have allowed him to become leader of his political party, and eventually Prime Minister.

No doubt, you must perform your investigation without political pressure, but the reality is that millions of Bernie Sanders supporters are awaiting your verdict. Millions of independent voters, and millions of Democrats who aren’t voting for Clinton, need to hear your verdict. Needless to say, the Republicans are waiting as well.

The entire nation is waiting for you to disclose the details of your year-long email investigation.

Whether or not you recommend indictment, and whether or not you’ve found criminal wrongdoing pertaining to Clinton, should be known before the end of the Democratic Primary. Democrats can’t nominate a person who could potentially face indictment on November 7, 2016.

Of course, I’m a huge Bernie Sanders supporter, and while even many Bernie voters have surrendered to the myth that this investigation is purely politics, I believe otherwise. I remember a time when government officials respected the FBI, and a time when FBI investigations could never be associated with winning the presidency. In my humble view, I’d take the recent letter you received from agents who worked on ABSCAM very seriously, and I explain here why your reputation is at stake.

If Clinton wins, and if she did nothing wrong, then Americans need to know. However, if Clinton jeopardized national security, or might have jeopardized national security, then Democrats must rally around Bernie Sanders before it’s too late.

Your own website states “Every day, criminals are invading countless homes and offices across the nation—not by breaking down windows and doors, but by breaking into laptops, personal computers, and wireless devices via hacks and bits of malicious code.”

America needs to know if this observation also applies to Clinton’s email server.

Senator Sanders hasn’t addressed the email scandal, even though Clinton would never have hesitated to do so, out of respect for your investigation. Thus, most Democrats think it’s blasphemous to even mention the possibility of indictment, or criminal wrongdoing. The sooner we all know, the sooner we can address the spin, either way, from both Trump and Clinton. Both Clinton and Trump will form their own narrative, from your year-long investigation, and Democratic voters need time to process your findings.

Hopefully, this will take place before June, so that Bernie Sanders has a chance to become nominee, and so that Democrats don’t attempt to further a person linked to criminal indictments into the White House. Future generations will learn about this era in American politics, and your actions will highlight a great deal about our nation’s value system. Future generations will remember when you disclosed your findings, and the impact this timing had on the future of the Democratic Party.

Sincerely,

H. A Goodman

[This article first appeared on The Huffington Post]

 


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