Clinton aide maintained 'top secret' clearance despite email probe

Cheryl Mills, a former top aide to Hillary Clinton when Clinton was secretary of state, maintained her "top secret" security clearance well after she left the State Department and even though several investigations into her use of Hillary Clinton's unsecured email server were underway.  Standard procedure is to yank the clearance of anyone suspected of mishandling classified information.

Fox News:

Current and former intelligence officials say it is standard practice to suspend a clearance pending the outcome of an investigation. Yet in the case of Cheryl Mills, Clinton’s former chief of staff at the State Department, two letters indicate this practice is not being followed -- even as the Clinton email system remains the subject of an FBI investigation.  

In an Oct. 30, 2015, letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa -- who has been aggressively investigating the Clinton email case -- Mills' lawyer Beth A. Wilkinson confirmed that her client “has an active Top Secret clearance." The letter said previous reporting from the State Department that the clearance was no longer active was wrong and due to "an administrative error."  

A second letter dated Feb. 18, 2016, from the State Department's assistant secretary for legislative affairs, Julia Frifield, provided additional details toGrassley about the "administrative error." It, too, confirmed Mills maintained the top secret clearance. 

The letters come amid multiple congressional investigations, as well as an FBI probe focused on the possible gross mishandling of classified information and Clinton's use of an unsecured personal account exclusively for government business. The State Department is conducting its own administrative review. 

Under normal circumstances, Mills would have had her clearance terminated when she left the department. But in January 2014, according to the State Department letter, Clinton designated Mills “to assist in her research.” Mills was the one who reviewed Clinton’s emails before select documents were handed over to the State Department, and others were deleted. 

Dan Maguire, a former strategic planner with Africom who has 46 years combined service, told Fox News his current and former colleagues are deeply concerned a double standard is at play.

"Had this happened to someone serving in the government, their clearance would have already been pulled, and certainly they would be under investigation. And depending on the level of disclosure, it's entirely possible they would be under pretrial confinement for that matter," Maguire explained. "There is a feeling the administration may want to sweep this under the rug.” 

Years after she resigned as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton and her aides are still getting preferential treatment from the government.  It's not just a double standard.  This is high-level government employees bending over backwards to satisfy a Clinton.

In fact, Clinton's entire tenure at the State Department is replete with these examples of special treatment.  Another Clinton aide, Huma Abedin, is under investigation for being paid by both the State Department and private companies closely associated with the Clinton Foundation.  The department occassionally grants waivers so that an employee can draw two salaries, but in this case, it's not clear if a waiver was ever given.

Congress and law enforcement are trying to untangle this web of arrogance and deceit.  To date, they haven't made much progress.

If you experience technical problems, please write to helpdesk@americanthinker.com