Moments of true greatness in life for most of us are individual things that generally go unnoticed by all but family and maybe friends, yet they establish our reputation which is left behind after we depart this life. But a few of us are given the opportunity to respond to something which gets much notice and carries an impact of great significance to many. Maybe it's a life saving event, or a moment of distinct bravery and courage by a soldier in combat, or even the making of a very difficult and stressful decision by someone holding high office who is expected to do the right thing. Whatever that moment may be, the response given shows the measure of the man or woman and that is either something to honor or something which could very well bring shame.
Sadly, on this day after our national birthday. a day when we honored and celebrated those great Americans of the past who put everything on the line for freedom, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation disgraced himself by his action in not recommending the prosecution of Hillary Clinton for security violations. The Director, James Comey, laid out a very compelling case with many components showing how Hillary Clinton violated the nation's trust and federal statutes regarding the receipt and transmission of classified material on a private computer up to and including Top Secret documents. It was clear early on when he read off the violations that gross negligence was involved and that, in and of itself, was clearly enough to proffer charges against the former Secretary of State. Those same violations if carried out by one of us would likely result in a lengthy stay in prison and a total destruction of our professional future. In this case, it has allowed a terribly flawed person to continue her quest for the highest office of the land, a position which she clearly should be disqualified from.
After laying out his case in a way that made most of the listening audience expect an indictment to be recommended, Comey suddenly changed course like a lost sailor at sea and stated that it was his professional opinion that no competent prosecutor would find this compelling case worthy of prosecuting. He did not exonerate her, in fact he was quite clear in pointing out her grave shortcomings, but he couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger on the case when the moment was there. Comey had his moment for greatness and he fell woefully short in dealing with it.
There are so many things associated with the Clinton scandal in recent days that no one can be faulted for "smelling a rat". First there was the supposed chance meeting by former President Bill Clinton and Attorney General Lynch on a Denver runway tarmac, a meeting which was blacked out by FBI agents. Had it not been for a Denver ABC affiliate TV news reporter scooping it, we wouldn't have known about it. And then there was the sudden interview by the FBI with Hillary over the weekend, complete with a personal one- on-one with her by Comey himself. So I guess when we heard this morning that Comey had called a press conference for 11 am after also learning that Hillary would be campaigning in North Carolina later in the day with President Obama, we should have known that the fix was in.
Folks, this was a complete disgrace for the national law institution which has always been known for its proper enforcement of the law and it was a personal disgrace for the Director who was previously so highly regarded for his independence and adherence to the law. At the moment when he needed to be resolute and honest, he just punted the ball. In one approximately fifteen minute appearance, the man who worked so hard to develop an impeccable reputation lost it. It's likely he will never get it back and I think he should now just face his own conscience and resign. There is no further service for America that he can be trusted to provide.
There is, however, a small silver lining in today's events. In laying out the case against Hillary in great detail, he has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that all of the statements which Hillary made about the scandal prior to today were in fact fabricated lies. And if Donald Trump is smart, he'll use the material to make sure that the American voting public fully grasps what that means. Let's hope it will help insure that another Clinton does not take up residence in the White House. If that happens, the great experiment which began two hundred and forty years ago yesterday will come to a sudden and ugly end. It's up to us to keep it alive for those who follow us.
Sadly, on this day after our national birthday. a day when we honored and celebrated those great Americans of the past who put everything on the line for freedom, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation disgraced himself by his action in not recommending the prosecution of Hillary Clinton for security violations. The Director, James Comey, laid out a very compelling case with many components showing how Hillary Clinton violated the nation's trust and federal statutes regarding the receipt and transmission of classified material on a private computer up to and including Top Secret documents. It was clear early on when he read off the violations that gross negligence was involved and that, in and of itself, was clearly enough to proffer charges against the former Secretary of State. Those same violations if carried out by one of us would likely result in a lengthy stay in prison and a total destruction of our professional future. In this case, it has allowed a terribly flawed person to continue her quest for the highest office of the land, a position which she clearly should be disqualified from.
After laying out his case in a way that made most of the listening audience expect an indictment to be recommended, Comey suddenly changed course like a lost sailor at sea and stated that it was his professional opinion that no competent prosecutor would find this compelling case worthy of prosecuting. He did not exonerate her, in fact he was quite clear in pointing out her grave shortcomings, but he couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger on the case when the moment was there. Comey had his moment for greatness and he fell woefully short in dealing with it.
There are so many things associated with the Clinton scandal in recent days that no one can be faulted for "smelling a rat". First there was the supposed chance meeting by former President Bill Clinton and Attorney General Lynch on a Denver runway tarmac, a meeting which was blacked out by FBI agents. Had it not been for a Denver ABC affiliate TV news reporter scooping it, we wouldn't have known about it. And then there was the sudden interview by the FBI with Hillary over the weekend, complete with a personal one- on-one with her by Comey himself. So I guess when we heard this morning that Comey had called a press conference for 11 am after also learning that Hillary would be campaigning in North Carolina later in the day with President Obama, we should have known that the fix was in.
Folks, this was a complete disgrace for the national law institution which has always been known for its proper enforcement of the law and it was a personal disgrace for the Director who was previously so highly regarded for his independence and adherence to the law. At the moment when he needed to be resolute and honest, he just punted the ball. In one approximately fifteen minute appearance, the man who worked so hard to develop an impeccable reputation lost it. It's likely he will never get it back and I think he should now just face his own conscience and resign. There is no further service for America that he can be trusted to provide.
There is, however, a small silver lining in today's events. In laying out the case against Hillary in great detail, he has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that all of the statements which Hillary made about the scandal prior to today were in fact fabricated lies. And if Donald Trump is smart, he'll use the material to make sure that the American voting public fully grasps what that means. Let's hope it will help insure that another Clinton does not take up residence in the White House. If that happens, the great experiment which began two hundred and forty years ago yesterday will come to a sudden and ugly end. It's up to us to keep it alive for those who follow us.
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