Will U.S. sailor filmed apologizing to Iran be reprimanded?

Commander may have breached Navy code of conduct by saying 'sorry' for drifting into Iranian waters

WOW!

This guy has drawn more wrath than Bergdahl. If you're going to go down this road then Barry should be impeached for the Iranian deal, not imposing the red line in Syria...let alone "you can keep your insurance period". 

In a perfect world... sailors adrift approached by the Iranian military:

“Hey, American sailor I’m Hamed what are you up to?”

“Damn engine broke down.”

“Both boats?”

“Yeah."

“You Americans better stop buying shit from China.”

“You can say that again.”

“You Americans bett…"

“Never mind.”

“ Just kidding, we have a rope. We'll tow you back to your ship.

“Thanks, Hamed I owe you a beer.”

“I don’t drink.”

“Okay, I’ll send you a virgin.”

They both laugh as they tie the tow line to the cleat.

Of course, we’re dealing with Iranians which make's the above scenario impossible.

       

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The U.S. sailor filmed apologizing after two Navy vessels drifted into Iranian waters and were captured could face disciplinary action, it has been reported.

The sailor, who has not been identified, was one of ten crew members aboard two Riverine patrol boats captured in the Persian Gulf yesterday after apparently losing power.

In footage broadcast on Iranian state television the sailor, who appears to be in command, is filmed saying: 'It was a mistake. That was our fault. And we apologize for our mistake.'

The U.S. sailor filmed apologizing on Iranian State television could be disciplined after appearing to breach the Navy Code of Conduct, it has been reported

The serviceman, who has not been identified, was one of nine men and one woman captured in the Persian Gulf yesterday after their two patrol boats apparently lost power and drifted into Iranian waters

His statement directly contradicts comments from Department of Defense spokesman Mark Toner, who said there was not 'a need for any kind of apology here' before the video emerged.

The sailor's apology also flies in the face of assertions from John Kerry that he did not personally apologize to Iran in order to have the ten captured service personnel released.

Kerry's spokesman John Kirby insisted the Secretary of State did not say sorry to his Iranian counterparts - because there was 'nothing to apologize for'.

Vice President Joe Biden also backed Kerry's claims he didn't apologize, telling CBS' This Morning: 'There's no apology and there's nothing to apologize for. 

'When you have a problem with the boat do you apologize to the boat having a problems? And there is no looking for any apology. This was just standard nautical practice.'

Despite assertions by the Department of Defense that the situation did not require 'any kind of apology', the sailor (left) was shown on Iranian state television just hours later issuing an apology

According to the Navy Code of Conduct, prisoners are required to give their name, rank, service number and date of birth, but should 'evade answering further questions to the utmost of [their] ability'

According to item five of the U.S. Navy's Code of Conduct, available via their website, captured personnel are required to give their 'name, rank, service number, and date of birth.'

It then says: 'I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.'

The Daily Caller reports that the sailor's apology appears to breach this part of the code, and as such could be subject to disciplinary action.

Attempts by the Dailymail.com to contact the State Department for comment were unsuccessful.

The Navy personnel were captured yesterday near Farsi Island, an area of land in the Persian Gulf shut off to the public, after being accused of snooping on Iranian forces.

Iranian television also released images of the service personnel kneeling on the deck of one of the captured vessels earlier today, before they were taken to a compound and held for 16 hours 

John Kerry, who had a hurried series of telephone conversations with Iranian officials after the boats were captured, also insisted today that he did not apologize - and was backed up by Joe Biden

(Two known liars collaborated)

Iran captured these two Riverine patrol boats yesterday afternoon near Farsi Island after accusing them of trying to spy on their operations, though the U.S. maintains a technical fault was to blame

The nine men and one woman were held for more than 16 hours by the Revolutionary Guard before being released earlier today.

Footage released this afternoon shows the sailors being forced to kneel on the deck of one of their craft before being taken ashore.

More film, taken inside a military compound, shows them sitting in a circle before being fed, while it appears the female sailor has been forced to put on an Islamic head covering.

The standoff came at an embarrassing time for President Obama after he trumpeted closer relations with Iran following a much-criticized deal over the Middle Eastern nation's nuclear program. 

Will U.S. sailor filmed apologizing to Iran be reprimanded?

Total Cave...Hitler is rolling in his grave

GERMANY'S MUSLIM TERROR VICTIMS 'HONORED' WITH STAR, CRESCENT

Germany's Tele5 decided to honor German victims of an Islamic terror attack in Turkey by changing its logo to the Islamic star and crescent (Photo: Twitter, Tele5)

A German television station decided to "honor" German victims of Islamic terrorism by incorporating a star and crescent into its logo.

At least eight of 10 people killed in a suicide attack in Istanbul, Turkey, on Tuesday were German tourists. Channel Tele5 responded Wednesday by tweeting an altered image of its logo with the de facto Islamic symbol.

"We find it rather unfortunate that the half-moon crescent has become a symbol of fear. The hilal [crescent] is not a sign of terror," the station tweeted in response to criticism, Breitbart London reported Wednesday.

Tele5's rush to turn Tuesday's terror attack into a Muslim-tolerance campaign follows a national media cover-up of over 100 sexual assaults and robberies perpetrated by Arab and North African migrants.

Germany's major stations refused to cover New Year's Eve attacks in Cologne and other cities for four days. Calls for help overwhelmed police and had them describing a "new dimension" of crime.

The list of countries that have reported a spike in sexual attacks since taking in migrants include: 

Austria: Police allegedly tried to cover up evidence of sex attacks in Vienna.

 

Finland: Police told Agence-France Presse there was "widespread sexual harassment" at a New Year's Eve event where 1,000 asylum seekers congregated. 

France: Two Afghan migrants were arrested in connection with an attempted rape on a passenger train in Paris.

 

Germany: A police officer in Cologne told Express.de Jan. 7 that 14 suspects in custody came from Syria; one came from Afghanistan. 

Sweden: At least nine women were groped by gangs of migrants in Kalmar.

 

Switzerland: Six women said they were sexually harassed at a New Year's Eve event in Zurich.

Harsh feedback against Tele5's logo was immediate on Twitter.

"So just so I'm clear on this, immigrants rape women in Cologne then blow them up in Istanbul and @Tele5 responds by honoring their religion?" asked one user.

"Rest in peace, Germany," wrote a second individual.

A third said the Islamic State group's flag would have been more appropriate since the station was already "spitting on the victims."

Authorities said Tuesday's attacks in Istanbul were likely perpetrated by a Syrian terrorist who recently crossed the border into Turkey.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who ushered in 1.1 million Muslim migrants into Germany in 2015, responded to Tuesday's suicide bombing by replaying her recent accolade during a news conference in Berlin.

Total Cave...Hitler is rolling in his grave

Obama’s Chief Of Staff Just Made Horrifying Revelation About Obama’s ‘Audacious’ Final Plans

And he used the SOTU to set it in motion!

You see I'm willing to compromise but because of the rancor in Congress, I'll take matters into my own hands.

Excerpt from the SOTU: 

(The last one we'll ever have to hear)

"Democracy grinds to a halt without a willingness to compromise; or when even basic facts are contested, and we listen only to those who agree with us.
Our public life withers when only the most extreme voices get attention. Most of all, democracy breaks down when the average person feels their voice doesn’t matter; that the system is rigged in favor of the rich or the powerful or some narrow interest. 

Too many Americans feel that way right now. It’s one of the few regrets of my presidency – that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better. There’s no doubt a president with the gifts of Lincoln or Roosevelt might have better bridged the divide, and I guarantee I’ll keep trying to be better so long as I hold this office."

He makes it sound like he bent over backwards to get along with Congress. The truth of the matter, citing just two examples of many, to get what he wants he either by-passes Congress altogether (The 5 for 1 swap) or (declares amnesty) by Executive Order.

BTW...didn't he once declare he was the 4th best president of all time? 

Oh...and remember this? In soaring rhetoric the "Messiah" came down from the cross to save us. Contrast his prophecy with the reality. The world is a far worse place now than before he took office. 

Video 203

Stopping the rise of the oceans was no problem so you would have thought the BP oil spill would have been a piece of cake. 

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While President Obama’s frequent use of executive orders to implement his policies has angered many Republicans, his chief of staff is warning Obama has even bigger plans to enact policies without involving Congress. 

White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough had a warning for the nation — in his final year in office, Obama will indulge in “audacious executive action.”

McDonough issued his warning during a breakfast with reporters in Washington D.C., in response to a question about what the president meant when he said he would “go it alone” if Congress wouldn’t back him.

According to National Review, McDonough replied, “We’ll do audacious executive action over the course of the rest of the year, I’m confident of that.” McDonough also said Obama and his team would endeavor to make sure his EOs couldn’t be “undone” by Congress at a later date.

But McDonough hinted that Obama wasn’t going to be constrained by law, Congress, or the Constitution. “McDonough said the White House is considering executive action on any and all issues,” the magazine reported. “And the main question President Obama plans to ask himself is ‘Why not?'”

Conservatives have been denouncing the way the president uses his executive orders (EOs) to force his ideology on the country through his power to affect the business community, environmental regulations, and other sectors of the country. They claim Obama’s use of EOs has been the most extreme of any president.

Liberals counter Obama has not abused the powers of his office because he has actually issued fewer EOs than most other recent presidents. And that’s true, if you go strictly by the numbers.

However, as David Harsanyi notes, it isn’t the number of EOs, but rather what is contained in them, that is cause for concern. Harsanyi says Obama has perpetrated the worst overreach of any executive in history and his EOs have been aimed at far-reaching and substantive changes in the American way of life.

While other presidents centered many of their EOs on things that won’t have a significant impact on most people’s, Obama’s EOs are meant to affect large segments of the population and he’s done so fully admitting he is going around the people elected to make these decisions.

You’ll recall his infamous claim he “has a pen” with which he can just write his plans into existence without anyone’s approval. Not Congress, not the courts, and not the voters.

But Obama has even raised the eyebrows of some liberals with his extreme use of the executive order. Late last year, left-winger Bill Maher warned liberals celebrating Obama’s EOs that someday a Republican might emulate Obama’s EO style, so they should be wary of Obama’s use of EOs today.

Obama’s Chief Of Staff Just Made Horrifying Revelation About Obama’s ‘Audacious’ Final Plans

BREAKING: Watch the humiliating moment Iran arrested U.S. sailors prior to release

Video 202

Kerry released this statement on Wednesday morning.

It read: 

"I'm very pleased that our Sailors have been safely returned to U.S. hands. As a former Sailor myself, I know the importance of naval presence around the world and the critical work being done by our Navy in the Gulf region."

Displaying his "critical work" with Jane.

Kerry claimed in a 1971 television interview that he threw away as many as nine of his combat medals to protest the war in Vietnam.

"I'm proud of our young men and women in uniform and know how seriously they take their responsibilities to one another and to other mariners in distress. I want to express my gratitude to Iranian authorities for their cooperation ‎in swiftly resolving this matter. That this issue was resolved peacefully and efficiently is a testament to our selling the farm in order to keep the critical facade of diplomacy alive and well. Of course, I did have to kiss some ass like I always do but that goes without saying." 

Déjà vu all over again

To pull off a stunt like this is indicative of the fact the Iranians have no respect whatsoever for this administration. Contrary to the WH 'diplomacy' spin...had Barry already handed over the $150 billion we would be revisiting this: 

And you can take that to the bank.

Think about this. What would you do for $150 billion? Dangling $150 billion over Iran's head the worthless dog turd in the WH, and his equally odorous SOS, still could still not secure the release of 4 Americans held in Iran. 

This is inconceivable!  

One last thing. I have had 5 boats in my lifetime. The adage...'if it has tits or a propeller sooner or later you're going to have a problem'...is true. That said, I can see a boat break down with engine problems and sent adrift. But two boats at the exact same time? Find that a bit weird.

BREAKING: Watch the humiliating moment Iran arrested U.S. sailors prior to release

Obama clearing out Gitmo

If you recall the 5 for one swap was done behind the back of Congress.  With this new batch he's releasing (17) once more he is refusing to inform Congress who they are in direct violation of the law. A few about to be released were deemed by the Bush administration “too dangerous to let go”. When the liberal fools voted for him with his promise to close down Gitmo... bet they didn’t know it would be from lack of occupancy! 

Barry likes to blame Gitmo as a recruiting tool for terrorism. (So when they were captured on the battlefield we should have  done what? Release them... like he's doing now?)

This is the list of Muslim terrorist attacks before and after 911. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Islamist_terrorist_attacks

You would have to be a fool to believe closing down Gitmo is going to somehow put a dent in terrorism. Yet he sits on his ass while ISIS is killing men, woman, and children a dime a dozen and recruiting people faster than eHarmony. Before Barry came along there was no ISIS or Boko Haram. Now one has sworn allegiance to the other. Are we to believe they had a powwow, merged, and their mission statement is...Will fight to the last breath to close down Gitmo?
 Give me a break. 

On the surface everything Barry does makes no sense. 

Refusing to call Islamic terrorism 

Islamic terrorism. 

Calling out and out terrorist attacks "workplace violence" in order to cover for Islam.

Lecturing us about getting off our high horse, slavery, The Jim Cows Laws in his defense of Islam.

The 5 for 1 swap. And now wholesale exhoneration. 

Cuts an insane deal with Iran that only benefits them while giving the U.S. and Isreal the shaft.

Backed the Muslim Brotherhood over Mubarak in Egypt.

But once you understand his true motivation... everything he does makes perfect sense.

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President Barack Obama long ago declared the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over, so it should be no surprise that he's releasing the prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay. After all, when wars end, prisoners of war are released.

The problem — much as the president might wish otherwise — is that those wars aren't over and that many of the detainees he's releasing not only are very dangerous but intent on returning to the fight.

No wonder U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., is protesting the president's recent plan for the imminent release of another 17 Gitmo prisoners.

"With the intelligence community in agreement that 30 percent of the terrorists released from Guantanamo are known or suspected to have rejoined the fight against Americans — it is reckless to release more of these prisoners or bring them on U.S. soil," Kirk said.

President Obama has long made it clear that he wants to close Guantanamo Bay, and he's gone a long way to depopulating it.

Including the pending release of another 17 inmates there, the population is expected to fall to roughly 90 by mid-January.

The initial debate over Obama's plan to close Gitmo involved his desire to transfer inmates there to prisons inside the United States. A bipartisan majority in Congress rejected that plan, asserting that because they might pose an additional security threat inside this country, it is better to keep them at Guantanamo Bay.

In reaction to Congress blocking the transfers, Obama has decided that simply freeing them upon the promise of good behavior is the best way to go. He has routinely argued over the years that the Guantanamo Bay facility should be closed because it serves as a recruiting tool for radical Islamists.

Even if that is true, jihadists will find other means to enlarge their ranks. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton recently claimed that the Islamic State group and al-Qaida are using Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as a recruiting tool.

Obama has released more than 600 Gitmo detainees, each time claiming that they pose no threat because they either have mended their ways or are low-level operatives.

But intelligence sources confirmed that many of them have left the countries that agreed to take them and returned to the fight. Of the 653 detainees released, intelligence agencies say they know for certain that 117 returned to jihad and suspect that another 79 have done so. That's roughly one in three.

Nonetheless, Obama downplays the threat that the released pose.

"The judgment we're continually making is: Are there individuals (under consideration for release) who are significantly more dangerous than the people who are already out there who are fighting? What do they add? Do they have special skills? Do they have special knowledge that ends up making a significant threat to the United States?" he recently explained.

So, theoretically, if there are individuals in ISIS, al-Qaida or any other jihadist organizations who might be even more dangerous than a detainee under consideration for release, there's no harm done by letting them go. That's a curious standard, particularly since those still held at Gitmo have been repeatedly described as the worst of the worst, the most ideologically committed and dangerous of the original Gitmo population.

President Obama is required by law to inform — not seek permission from — Congress of his plans to release Gitmo detainees. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter recently took that step, meaning the latest round of Gitmo population reductions is on the front burner.

If past is prologue, President Obama's action will add to the enemy's strength. Unfortunately, given his ideological commitment to shutting down Gitmo, there is nothing to deter Obama, the nation's commander in chief, from taking this unwise step.

But there will be repercussions. The president can argue all he wants that the releases are no big deal in a military sense. But common sense indicates otherwise.

Obama clearing out Gitmo

Firearm sales in Austria are up 350% due to 'unease' over increasing number of Muslim migrants

Gun sales have jumped 350 per cent in Austria amid 'unease' over increasing numbers of Muslim migrants following the Paris terror attacks, firearm dealers have claimed.

The final months of 2015 showed increases in gun permit applications while dealers reported huge demand for self-defence weapons such as tasers, pepper spray and blank firing-guns.

It comes just months after shotguns were reported to have sold out across the country as residents became increasingly paranoid about refugee numbers.

Hundreds of migrants who arrived at the Hungarian-Austria border by train make their way into Austria. Many residents have been purchasing weapons amid increased fears of break-ins and crime

Hundreds of migrants wait at the Slovenian-Croatian border crossing of Sredisce ob Dravi, Slovenia

A spokesperson for the arms industry told broadcaster ORF that it was 'clear that people's general sense of unease has increased', The Local reported.

In Styria, which borders Slovenia, the number of permits issued has drastically increased since thousands of refugees began streaming across its borders every day.

Styrian police said: 'Most people said they wanted a weapon because they didn't feel safe'. 

And in Leibnitz and Sudoststeiermark, the number of permits also quadrupled last year, the website reported.

In October, shotguns were reported to have almost sold out across the entire country.

'Virtually all shotguns are currently sold out because you need no permit for them', said Thomas Ortner, spokesman for an arms dealer in Upper Austria.

Broadcasters and local media say the numbers of refugees - coupled with a fear of break-ins as a result - is fuelling the arms race.

'Because of the social change, people want to protect themselves,' one arms dealer told the broadcaster oe.24. He said 'many women' were among his customers.

Czech Independent TV has also reported on an arms upsurge. A few months ago it was revealed most rifles in the country were out of stock.

Migrants scuffle as they wait to cross the border from Slovenia into Austria after they were routed through the country when Hungary closed its border with Croatia

A central weapon register was introduced in June 2014 to record all legal firearm sales and this year more than 14,000 new weapons were purchased.

Dealers reported that women are also driving up sales of pepper spray because of their fears for personal security in the midst of the great migration of refugees heading to Germany.

'We cannot complain about a lack of demand,' said Stephan Mayer, a gun merchant. 'People want to protect themselves.

'The most common purchasers of arms are primarily Austrian women who are also buying tear [pepper] sprays, which are much in demand.'

Firearm sales in Austria are up 350% due to 'unease' over increasing number of Muslim migrants

What an unadulterated embarrassment!

Teenage hacker targets Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper

This comes on the heels of the Chinese hack attack in June 2015. A massive national security breach involving 21.5 million federal employee who's records including security-clearance details dating back 15 years were stolen. In a show of retribution for Chinese internet espionage, Barry  drew 'another red line' by inviting President Xi Jinping to the WH where they dined on Moo goo gai pan and egg rolls.

Josh Earnest: Yes, I Got Hacked... By China

This is their website contact address:  

Office of The Director of National Intelligence

Ask them if they're so "intelligent" how did they allow a punk kid to hack into the head of the DNI accounts?  

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One of the hackers who boasted last fall of breaking into the private email account of the CIA director apparently has struck again — this time targeting the director of national intelligence.

A prankster who goes by the nickname "Cracka" told a reporter for the online magazine Motherboard that he had broken into a series of accounts linked to National Intelligence Director James R. Clapper. They included his home telephone and Internet, his personal email and his wife's Yahoo email account, according to the site, which is owned by Vice.

The reporter, Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai, said Cracka provided him screenshots of some of that material but not Clapper's personal email.

A spokesman for Clapper, Brian Hale, said the Office of the Director of National Intelligence was "aware of the matter and reported it to the appropriate authorities."

The FBI is investigating.

(So they admit it took place)

Cracka also claimed to have changed the settings on Clapper's home phone number, provided by Verizon FIOS, so that every call would be forwarded to the Free Palestine Movement, Motherboard reported. The ODNI confirmed that.

(He changed the settings on Barry's phone too. When you call the WH a phone rings in Kenya)

When the hacking group known as Crackas With Attitude, or CWA, last year gained access to Brennan's account, they said it was in "opposition to U.S. foreign policy and support to Palestine."

One of the hackers who cracked Brennan's account last year told Wired magazine that he gained access by posing as a Verizon worker and tricking another employee into divulging Brennan's personal information.

Using that data, the hackers were able to reset the password on Brennan's AOL account, Wired reported.

It is not clear whether Cracka similarly used "social engineering" to gain control of Clapper's FIOS account or employed another method.

What an unadulterated embarrassment!

Trump's new ad

Trump's new ad

And the imbeciles vote!

On a tip from Ed Kilbane

Congratulations North Korea

Video 201

Before they left he should have asked, “BTW…are you a Democrat or a Republican.” 
Skip that. You already know the answer

And the imbeciles vote!

'Is Sean Penn a CIA spy?'

My first thought.  El Chapo is the most wanted guy on the fucking planet. Sean Penn was able to find him but authorities from around the world could not!

Let's face it Penn has an affinity for associating himself with the less desirable of the world.

Chávez and Castro come to mind.

If the story below is true he may not be around for his 56th birthday.

Not to mention legal problems.

http://www.mediaite.com/online/in-el-chapo-interview-sean-penn-opens-himself-up-to-some-legal-problems/

Rolling Stone magazine published this photo to substantiate that Sean Penn met with the Mexican drug lord known as El Chapo (Photo: Rolling Stone)

Penn fostered a relationship with Mexican actress Kate del Castillo who had the trust of El Chapo, only then did he agree to be interviewed by the actor.

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As news emerged of the peculiar series of events that led to El Chapo's capture, Twitter was ablaze with one question: Is Sean Penn a CIA spy?

The actor met with the world's most wanted drug lord in the jungle to ask him a handful of Hollywood-worthy questions such as 'do you dream?' and 'how would you define yourself?'

And then just hours after the Sinaloa cartel leader was detained by Mexican marines, the Rolling Stone published a lyrical 10,000-word account of their meeting.

Supposedly the entire 'clandestine horror show' - as Penn put it - was part of a research project to develop a Netflix-style drama about Guzmán and his prison break.

Though Penn insists he went to extreme lengths to hide the meeting from authorities, the details have sparked widespread speculation that he was in fact tapped by the CIA to locate the fugitive criminal - just as screenwriters were enlisted to make Argo to free US hostages in Iran in 1979.

Mexican authorities knew about the meeting between Penn and El Chapo in October and were close to launching a raid on him that month but had to abort it because he was with two women and a child. 

The Rolling Stone piece in which Sean Penn documents his daring journey to Mexico to meet up with El Chapo Guzmán, ultimately led to the kingpin's recapture, six months after his elaborate prison break.

'Is Sean Penn a CIA spy?'

Hillary Clinton is "too big to jail"

After reading this article I felt a knot in the pit of my stomach. I sure as hell hope this story doesn't come to pass. But I suspect it will especially after I read the last paragraph.

 I seem to remember like 157 documented visits by the IRS to the WH before the scandal broke… and now it has all but disappeared.

 http://www.mediaite.com/tv/bill-oreilly-rails-irs-commishs-157-white-house-visits-a-smoking-gun/

We all know what happened to Petraeus concerning his handling of classified material. What he did is minuscule compared to Killary. I'm not a lawyer but the fact she deleted 31,000 emails after she was issued a subpoena indicates to me she broke the law right there. Tampering with evidence comes to mind.

If Killary is indicted and goes to trial (the trial in all likelihood wouldn't take place until after the election) but the damage done would be so great even the MSM won't be able to rescue her. It effectively puts a Republican in the WH. Knowing this administration that ain't gonna happen. Hope I have to eat crow.

As much as I hate the Clinton's I just can't visualize this. 

On the other hand...

By: streiff (Diary)

Another Friday has passed and with it more of Hillary Clinton's emails. At latest count nearly 700 of her emails, emails that were stored on a private, unsecured server, contained information of various levels of classification. At least two of those emails have been identified as originating with data from a KH-series photo-reconnaissance satellite and had the classification of Top Secret and required handling within a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility. The FBI's Counterintelligence Division is now engaged in an investigation. And FBI Director James Comey has vowed to follow the case wherever the evidence leads. But is that true?

Attorneys who have handled classified information cases say the bureau, initially asked to examine whether Clinton's arrangement compromised national security secrets, ultimately will have to consider whether she and her aides failed to sufficiently safeguard sensitive information.

They disagree about whether there's enough evidence to prosecute her or her aides for sending and receiving government messages over the personal email system. routed through a private computer server in the basement of her New York home.

But most who spoke to McClatchy say it's unlikely the former first lady, senator and Cabinet secretary will face charges because of her high profile and the hurdle to prove she knew the emails contained classified information when she sent them to others.

"She's too big to jail," said national security attorney Edward MacMahon Jr., who represented former CIA employee Jeffrey Sterling in 2011 in a leak case that led to an espionage prosecution and 3½-year prison term. He cited a pattern of light punishments for top government officials who have mishandled classified information while lower level whistleblowers such as Sterling have faced harsh prosecutions for revealing sensitive information to expose waste, fraud or abuse in government.

It is no coincidence that his article has been published now, relying on people familiar with the investigation. As with everything else concerning this administration, politics is everything. Were this not a primary season and Hillary Clinton not the front runner for the Democrat nomination she might conceivably be in legal jeopardy. But that is not the case. Obama is faced with a stark choice. He may either let this investigation proceed and see the Democrat nominee indicted… or he can sandbag the investigation.

Already, Obama has tried to send a rather public message that the investigation needs to end. It is really difficult to find another example of any president trying to tamper with an ongoing investigation as brazenly as this guy.

Then there is this nugget. James Covey has been engaged in a rather public spat with the White House over the Black Lives Matter bunch, and the impact of police brutality investigations, and the need to reduce  incarceration.

On Thursday, the president met with Mr. Comey in the Oval Office to discuss his views. The White House declined to describe the conversation.

 A cynic might connect the available dots in a different way and think that Comey was called to the White House, using the public statements by Covey as a cover, to tell him to leave Hillary alone and to finish up his investigation fast. This article appearing shortly thereafter is just to put him on notice that the Administration is serious.

Once upon a time we were a nation where the same basic set of rules applied to everyone. The legacy of the Obama administration will be the end of the very idea that that is the case anymore.

Hillary Clinton is "too big to jail"