Preemptive Impeachment

                                                                                    March 15, 2016

K.C. Shepherd

The Democratic Party establishment needs to consider a Preemptive Impeachment.  “Oh no” you say.  Not another goofy contrived political cliché.  Please allow me to explain.

The party will need to make a choice:  nominate a damaged candidate who may be under indictment or the threat of indictment or nominate Bernie Sanders.

Option one:  Hillary is nominated and possibly elected (the Republicans do not exactly have any sterling candidates.)  If so, we may eventually be treated to the spectacle of yet another Clinton impeachment. 

Option two:   Democratic leaders pressure Hillary to suspend her campaign for the good of the party and Bernie is the nominee.  As polls indicate, Bernie would easily defeat any of the Republicans.

“The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails”

In the first Democratic debate, October 13, 2015, Bernie gave Hillary this famous free pass.  Bernie is a gentleman who comes ready to debate issues.  At that time, the email debacle appeared to be nothing more than yet another sleazy Republican smear.

Now, despite what she says those “damn emails” are clearly a matter of great concern for Secretary Clinton.   Bryan Pagliano, former Clinton staffer who installed the infamous server has been granted immunity from prosecution by the Justice Department.  A grant of immunity involves a difficult and lengthy procedure.  These are generally granted when the government believes the individual has valuable information in a criminal case.  The usual purpose is to obtain evidence that will be used to prosecute someone higher up the totem pole. 

 

There are 150 FBI special agents working the case.  Eventually their investigation will be complete.  On the basis of evidence presented, government prosecutors will decide whether to convene a grand jury.  It would be then that Pagliano would have to testify.

That decision could come as early as May.  An indictment, if it happens is not a conviction.  The Secretary and her team will no doubt use all of their corporate lawyerly spin to spread fog and confusion.  That is a Clinton strong suit. 

Unless the DOJ decides not to convene a grand jury the case will likely be up in the air by convention time in July.  She will argue correctly that she has not been convicted (or possibly even charged) and therefore fully intends to carry on her campaign, go to the White House and be the inevitable President that she was intended to be.

Suppose she was merely stupid and there was nothing sinister about her actions, deleting 30,000 emails for example.  That lack of judgment at the cabinet level should disqualify her for higher office.  Imagine what her Republican opponent will do with this issue.  The smoke will not go away and the glimmer of a fire below is beginning to glow.  Hillary may be “feeling the burn.”

Option two could loom large in July.