Lock Her Up?

President Trump should direct the FBI to immediately refer all of its currently held evidence to the Department of Justice for consideration of the prosecution of criminal charges related to her private email server and any, related obstruction of justice allegations. Further, he should direct his law enforcement agencies to renew their investigation of this entire situation, including Madam Secretary and any of her associates who may have been involved.

I fully admit that I am no fan of Hillary Clinton. Frankly, I am not a huge (“Yuuuuuge?”) fan of President Trump, either. But this is not about some sort of weird revenge against Hillary Clinton; this is an important necessity to demonstrate to all US citizens that justice is applied fairly in this country to all citizens.

My personal belief is that there is a very, very small group of people who would have been able to do what Secretary Clinton did without facing federal charges, or at least the serious possibility of them. If you listen to Director Comey’s list of ‘sins’ from his July 5, 2016, press conference where he indicated he would not be pressing charges, it is clear that there was at least a reasonable possibility of federal, criminal culpability. I have read a great deal about Director Comey’s suggestion that she could be exonerated (or not prosecuted) due to a lack of “intent” that the statute does not require, but I am not in a position today to state whether he was right or not. What I will say, though, is that difficult legal decisions in a high profile, federal case should be made by the lawyers at the Department of Justice, not by law enforcement officers at the FBI.  The FBI investigates potential crimes; the DOJ decides whether to prosecute them.

Donald Trump proclaimed often and loudly that he would “lock her up.” He made this promise because he either believed she was guilty of a federal crime, or it was a shameless pander to the rest of us to try to win the election. Only one choice leaves our President with any honor: he believed it to be true, and he will investigate and prosecute because he sincerely is on the side of the ‘little guy.’

He would demonstrate that he recognizes that if one of us did what Secretary Clinton did with classified information on her private email server (which we now know was apparently “hacked” by the Russians in their alleged attempts to “hack the election”), we would not walk free without so much as a charge. I can think of a high school kid who received more punishment for posting allegedly inappropriate thoughts about girls on the internet. Could any of us get away with this, all while publicly lying and denying? I do not believe so. A failure to investigate and, if warranted, prosecute, would demonstrate that there is a very, very small group of people in this country who are, essentially, above the law. This includes high level, politically influential people on both sides of the aisle and, probably the very wealthy.

But it sure doesn’t include us.

And that’s not right.

Gregg Smith
Gregg Smith
Gregg Smith is a Great Falls attorney and businessperson. He writes a monthly column for the Great Falls Tribune.

10 COMMENTS

  1. I do believe that he should have them look into it . Then that brings up the question that if he dose and the do charge and prosecute her will that stir up all the democrats so that in 2020 they really cause a mess up in the election. Personally I don’t think that they will drop it that easily , they will fight this Trump victory to the end

  2. She should be investigated and if probable is established, charged with the crime. No one should be above the law. It is not complicated.

  3. It would be a waste of time and money. The FBI concluded there was no criminal wrongdoing or intent to violate laws concerning the handling of classified information on the part of Clinton or her staff.

  4. Ms. Lindhorst, did you even read the piece?

    “What I will say, though, is that difficult legal decisions in a high profile, federal case should be made by the lawyers at the Department of Justice, not by law enforcement officers at the FBI. The FBI investigates potential crimes; the DOJ decides whether to prosecute them.”

  5. The FBI might have time to investigate her (a known criminal) IF they would stop wasting their time and resources on trying to take down Donald Trump, his family and those associated with him- wasting OUR tax money!
    So the violence, crime and other things going on in our nation, can carry on and do their things that bring our country down….. as long as they can concentrate on trying to destroy Trump.
    The drugs and violence that kill our children, destroy families and communities and bring our nation to its knees can keep on keeping on so long as it does not impede their fruitless investigation.
    Clinton has an open book on bucking the law and thumbs her nose at anyone who says anything against her. Where IS her ….. I mean OUR justice?
    To quote an old Bob Dylan song……..’ it’s just blowin’ in the wind’

  6. Myself, wife, all my family and people I bother to know voted Donald J. Trump the president of the United States of America. We didnt vote republican, tea party (which I more identify with) or any other faction of conservatsim or anti-liberalism-progressiveism but we voted Donald J. Trump. With that being said, love him or hate him, President Trump has exposed with word or his mere presence the swamp that is American politics for however many years or decades it has been this way. There are some of us, many of us actually that fret over spending 10-20 dollars on something as we may need that money for something else important later on and we do not live with any frills like going out to dinner at a restaurant a few nights a week or take extravagant trips etc. Yet politicians blow millions right in front of our eyes and don’t think twice about it. In fact many people, government employees included or anyone that has a line to taxpayer money, spend taxpayer money wastefully and do not think twice about it. That is my picture of President Trump and what he represents to me.

    Now we are talking about an untouchable political being and should this being be put in jail. I say yes and really get miffed when I see all the taxpayer money wasted to defend these types of people like they are some kind of heroes. I feel sorry for democrats that think it is a good thing to defend slick willy clinton and his “I did not have sex with that woman” lie to the face of Americans. This was something he perpetrated in our White House and lied directly to the American people regarding! The female clinton has a lot of baggage just from what the news has reported in the last few years and I would rather see my hard earned money spent on investigating that being way before this made up Russia collusion thing. Remember that the Russia collusion thing was started by democrats after the dnc got caught with its pants down screwing over one of their own, bernie sanders. bernie didnt seem too upset after that happened, hmmmmm.

    On last thing, I believe there should have been a woman, black or any other ethnicity than “white” as president of the united states even in the 1800’s, just not the “black” person that served from 2009 to 2016 although I wanted him to succeed very much but saw what he was all about very quickly and……….certainly not the being that thank God did not succeed in the presidential election of 2016. All of you that vote democrat, liberal, progressive, racial or gender reasons or whatever, you have that right and I am not trying to villify you, although very tough not to do even though I am very sure you have said things about our great president and us that voted him in.

    Just remember that we as American taxpayers are not getting everything in news broadcasts and that is why the tweets by President Trump are all I listen to……..oh and some Fox………and others on the internet (E-City Beat also). You cannot be too sure and really have to do the due dilligence to try and find the truth. But for whatever, yes, this being should be investigated much further.

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