Obama and FBI Clinton Investigation

What does President Barack Obama know about the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she served as Secretary of State? This is the one million dollar question flowing out of his Thursday endorsement of Clinton.

As president, Obama should not be privy to an ongoing criminal investigation. At least, not until the findings of that investigation have been completed and released to the public.

I cannot help but think President Obama knows something that other Americans are yet to learn about the status of this investigation. Why else would he stick his neck out and endorse a candidate from his party for president who is being investigated by the FBI?

Especially given the fact that the time period between the Democratic convention and the November election date is more than sufficient time for Clinton or any candidate, at this stage of the game, to make a strong case for why she or he is the best person suited to enforce the laws of the country for the next four years.

How can the chief enforcer of the constitution and laws enacted by congress endorse a candidate under criminal investigation?

This week the FBI filed a brief in federal court in a case brought by Judicial Watch, a conservative watch dog group, seeking to compel Secretary Clinton to testify in a civil freedom of information case. Among other things, the FBI brief stated that everything found on Clinton’s email server is evidence or has the potential to become evidence in their ongoing criminal investigation.

If it is determined that Clinton did not break any laws, then there is no problem with the timing of Obama’s endorsement. Certainly President Obama can endorse anybody at anytime. Obama’s endorsement of Clinton so quickly after meeting with Senator Bernie Sanders begs these questions:

Why did Obama endorse now? What does he know about the likely outcome of the criminal investigation of Clinton? Does he know that the FBI investigation will exonerate Clinton?

For eight years, Obama has played his cards well. He has made few if any political mistakes. Only time will tell if he made a political mistake in this endorsement of Clinton before the criminal investigation by the FBI into her private email server has been completed.

 

Harold Michael Harvey is an American novelist and essayist, the author of Paper puzzle and Justice in the Round. He can be contacted at haroldmichaelharvey.com.