If Hillary Clinton Gets a Pass on Espionage From President Obama, So Should Whistleblowers

Regarding the documents themselves, I think it was a fair point when he said there was too much information to sift through and that he also didn't think he should be in charge of what got released. He chose reporters... Perhaps they weren't the best ones, but I do think he tried to choose someone he thought would disseminate the information responsibly.

When you're talking about classified documents from an organization that's actively engaged in counterterrorism operations, that's not a fair point. If you feel that specific programs are violating the law and infringing upon our rights, you share that particular bit of information. You don't vacuum up whatever you can then disseminate to journalists and say "well let's leave it up to them to decide". That's absurd and reckless.

China and Hong Kong were already well aware that we practice espionage against them. We'd already made returning a poor choice for him. I 100% believe that he's had to give up information to Russia in return for the asylum. Again, we've made returning a poor choice for him.

I have no doubt that they were, and that they spy on us too, and the only reason he said it- publicly no less- was to pressure Hong Kong to not extradite him and make them look like the bad guys.

Regardless of what you might think his intentions were all along or how the government pressured him, that's not something to shrug off. If it's proven that he's worked with Russians in return for asylum, that's also far from being blameless.

I get that he'd be doing it for self-preservation, but that's not the same as being innocent by any stretch. You'd be actively sharing America's secrets with a government that's notorious for human rights violations, whose main intelligence branch is the successor to the KGB. You can't possibly claim to be any sort of patriot at that point that cares about the Constitution.

I don't recall the details of Petraeus' situation, but I think he said something or things to a journalist he was sleeping with? Then resigned? If that's the case, I'd be inclined to call it a mistake that he took responsibility for. Sure, hold a trial and render judgment, but I'd be inclined towards leniency if he's taken responsibility for his actions.

He provided his mistress eight notebooks full of classified information as director of the CIA, that included the identity of covert agents... only got 2 years probation and a misdemeanor.

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