A report in the New York Post claims that a longtime Clinton legal adviser and confidant has warned Hillary Clinton that the investigation into the email controversy is moving into "dangerous" territory and that it's time for her to retain a criminal lawyer.

The adviser, who has been a Clinton confidant for more than 30 years, laid out his concerns about Hillary’s legal exposure in a wide-ranging interview.

“This e-mail thing is spiraling out of control,” he said. “To paraphrase John Dean of Watergate fame, it’s a cancer on her candidacy.

“Frankly,” he continued, “I am used to my advice on legal matters being taken very seriously and acted upon by the Clintons. I’ve told them repeatedly that this FBI e-mail investigation could go in a very dangerous direction very quickly.

“I think Bill takes the matter seriously. But Hillary is still acting as though it’s a political smear job by right-wing zealots.”

In separate phone conversations with Bill and Hillary, the adviser said he warned them that Justice Department prosecutors handling Hillary’s case expect the FBI probe to wrap up much sooner than expected — maybe as soon as the end of this year.

His advice to Hillary: lawyer up now before it’s too late.“Hillary needs to secure the services of an expert legal counsel—preferably a big-league defense attorney from the Republican side of the aisle,” the adviser said. “She needs someone to find out whether the FBI and Justice Department are likely to conclude that she’s violated federal laws governing national security.”

The Clinton confidant said that his advice has met a lot of resistance among members of Hillary’s campaign staff. But Hillary has been the biggest problem. He described her as being in a state of denial.

He said he was “tearing my hair out” over Hillary’s defiance of his advice, her insistence that the email controversy was all about politics, and her tendency to joke about the whole thing.

“By joking about her email problem and treating it like a PR issue, she’s only hurting herself, maybe mortally, with the prosecutors,” the adviser said. “Insulting career FBI and Justice Department investigators is a very bad and ill-advised strategy.

We've heard from several sources over the last few months who have said the exact same thing about Hillary's attitude toward the scandal – that it's not serious and is a product of politics, nothing more.  Her being in denial rings true.

But anyone who claims to have been offering advice to the Clinton's for 30 years would be well-known by Clinton watchers.  I can't imagine someone who wants to remain anonymous being that forthcoming about his long-term relationship with the Clintons.

Still, it would seem to be up to Bill to knock some sense into Hillary and get her to hire a defense attorney.  She isn't handling the political fallout from the scandal very well at all, and if the legal aspects of the email issue are handled that way, she's going to be doing a perp walk in an orange jumpsuit before too long.

It's a nice dream to have, but don't bet on it.  The Clintons have wiggled out of tighter places than this, so you would have to assume they will do it again.