Hillary Clinton has just a few hours left to secure a pardon from President Obama. After that she takes her chances with whatever the mercurial Trump has in store for her.
From New York Post
Obama has pardoned or commuted the sentences of more than 1,000 people — in fact, he’s the most forgiving president in history. And while Hillary has until noon on Friday to get a pardon for any crimes she may have committed, Obama as of noon on Wednesday does not intend to pardon Madame Secretary.
Why not?
One reason: He probably doesn’t like her very much. The two were opponents for the White House in 2008 and harsh words were exchanged. And her appointment as secretary of state was more of a business transaction than anything else.
And, as you can probably figure out yourself, Obama likely doesn’t want his legacy eroded any more than it already has been and will be as Trump undoes his actions.
Plus, Hillary’s recklessness with her e-mails could have put Obama personally in an embarrassing situation. Months ago, I explained that Hillary needed permission from the White House to use her beloved BlackBerry inside the State Department, even though that ran afoul of security protocol.
And it was Obama, a very reliable source told me, who personally had to grant that approval.
But the best reason for not giving a pardon is simple: Obama doesn’t really know what kind of trouble Hillary might be in. And she would have to admit to things she might not be ready to reveal to get completely out of trouble.
On top of that, if Obama pardoned her, how would others feel who might be equally jammed up because of her possible wrongdoing? There are long lists of people who had to be complicit if crimes were committed.
Trump has said he would not appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Hillary. The Clintons have been through enough, he said.
But that doesn’t really matter. In fact, a special prosecutor would have to start from the beginning and that would slow things down.
Several investigations are already ongoing, including:
- the one involving the laptop of Hillary’s longtime aide Huma Abedin. The laptop was found in the apartment Abedin shared with her estranged husband, Anthony Weiner
- probes into possible obstruction of justice related to the disappearance of all of Hillary’s private e-mails
- an investigation into the now-famous “secret” meeting of Bill Clinton with Attorney General Loretta Lynch and a number of other things
- the probes into the Clinton Foundation’s fundraising
Read Full Story At New York Post
