Ricochet News Flash: Hillary’s Chances of Being Indicted

 

hillary_orange1Rob, James and I just finished recording this week’s flagship Ricochet Podcast. One of our guests was the great Richard Epstein. Get a load of this exchange:

James Lileks: What’s the chance Hillary will be indicted?

Richard Epstein: Thirty percent.

Wow. One of the country’s leading legal scholars believes there’s a one-in-three chance that the Democratic Party’s presumed nominee for President will become the subject of a criminal indictment.

As I say, wow.

Published in Law
Like this post? Want to comment? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Join Ricochet for Free.

There are 93 comments.

Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.
  1. Casey Inactive
    Casey
    @Casey

    Frank Soto:

    Ryan M: Indicted is one thing. Convicted is another thing.

    If she’s indicted her campaign is over.

    You mean her 2016 campaign, right?  I think she’ll be fine for 2020.

    • #31
  2. Fake John/Jane Galt Coolidge
    Fake John/Jane Galt
    @FakeJohnJaneGalt

    DrewInWisconsin:

    But the political class — in particular, the Democrats in the political class — do not have to follow the laws.

    This is because the political class are criminals and the parties are the equivalent to criminal gangs.

    • #32
  3. DrewInWisconsin Member
    DrewInWisconsin
    @DrewInWisconsin

    Frank Soto:

    Ryan M: Indicted is one thing. Convicted is another thing.

    If she’s indicted her campaign is over.

    Oh, like Democrat voters would care about a thing like that.

    • #33
  4. Fake John/Jane Galt Coolidge
    Fake John/Jane Galt
    @FakeJohnJaneGalt

    Frank Soto:

    Ryan M: Indicted is one thing. Convicted is another thing.

    If she’s indicted her campaign is over.

    I doubt it.  She is a Democrat and the Democratic voters view this whole thing as not exactly illegal but as the GOP persecuting her, vast right wing conspiracy, war on women and such things.  If she spins it right she can convince the voters that this whole thing is proof that the establishment is afraid of her and thus she is the outsider that needs to be elected.

    • #34
  5. Frank Soto Member
    Frank Soto
    @FrankSoto

    Casey:

    Frank Soto:

    Ryan M: Indicted is one thing. Convicted is another thing.

    If she’s indicted her campaign is over.

    You mean her 2016 campaign, right? I think she’ll be fine for 2020.

    Probably right.  If you think the attempts to make Hillary seem like your Grandma are awful, wait until you see the strategy of convincing you she’s just like your great grandma.

    • #35
  6. James Gawron Inactive
    James Gawron
    @JamesGawron

    Frank Soto:

    Ryan M: Indicted is one thing. Convicted is another thing.

    If she’s indicted her campaign is over.

    Frank,

    Works for me.

    Regards,

    Jim

    • #36
  7. Vance Richards Inactive
    Vance Richards
    @VanceRichards

    While she technically broke “the law”, Dude, that was like two years ago! At this point, what difference does it make?

    • #37
  8. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    Fake John/Jane Galt:

    Frank Soto:

    Ryan M: Indicted is one thing. Convicted is another thing.

    If she’s indicted her campaign is over.

    I doubt it. She is a Democrat and the Democratic voters view this whole thing as not exactly illegal but as the GOP persecuting her, vast right wing conspiracy, war on women and such things. If she spins it right she can convince the voters that this whole thing is proof that the establishment is afraid of her and thus she is the outsider that needs to be elected.

    True, the spin will be piled ten feet high, but I think it would be more successful on the damning evidence in the absence of an indictment.  The FBI Director and the female AG are both Democratic appointments, so it’s hard to spin an indictment as a right-wing conspiracy.

    My best guess is that Comey recommends prosecution, Lynch doesn’t act, the intelligence agencies go bananas, and she spins her way out of that.

    • #38
  9. Dave Carter Podcaster
    Dave Carter
    @DaveCarter

    Her offenses are an order of magnitude worse than that of Gen Petraeus, who shared classified information with his biographer/mistress.  He faces retroactive demotion from a Secretary of Defense who has a slinky for a spine, while Hillary has only a 30% chance of being indicted?  Had I done something like that when I was in uniform, I’d still be under the jail.

    Mark Steyn writes, “In his [Petraeus’] shoes, I’d rip off the three remaining stars, hurl them in Ash Carter’s face, and demote myself to private.”  He’s right.

    • #39
  10. ToryWarWriter Coolidge
    ToryWarWriter
    @ToryWarWriter

    My guess for the conspiracy minded.

    The report is done, and they are waiting for New Hampshire to close.  If she blows both the first two States, they then recommend prosecution.

    This extraordinary circumstance, forces the Democrats to allow some last minute rule changes, and then Biden or Kerry gets to make an emergency run.

    If she eakes out a victory in either state she gets to go on and they indict Kennedy from her staff.  But if she blows the first two races…

    The fix is in for Bernie.

    • #40
  11. Bryan G. Stephens Thatcher
    Bryan G. Stephens
    @BryanGStephens

    The Democrats are a Criminal Enterprise pretending to be a political policy. They would have indited a Republican by now. They will never eat one of their own.

    • #41
  12. Luke Thatcher
    Luke
    @Luke

    James Madison:Here is the issue: intent. Intent is required to get a prosecution on a serious national security offense.

    The threshold for finding intent is subjective unless she did or said something that indicated clearly she intended to violate the law.

    I thought the threshold was negligence. I thought negligence doesn’t require intent… I could be wrong.

    • #42
  13. billy Inactive
    billy
    @billy

    It’s terrible that she has to campaign with this hanging over her, so why doesn’t Obama just offer her a blanket pardon?

    • #43
  14. Fake John/Jane Galt Coolidge
    Fake John/Jane Galt
    @FakeJohnJaneGalt

    Luke:

    James Madison:Here is the issue: intent. Intent is required to get a prosecution on a serious national security offense.

    The threshold for finding intent is subjective unless she did or said something that indicated clearly she intended to violate the law.

    I thought the threshold was negligence. I thought negligence doesn’t require intent… I could be wrong.

    There is no smoking gun, in her hand, while on film, witness by Christ and etched in stone.  If you don’t have that level of proof then you are a partisan hack and you are just making stuff up because you hate HRC for being the first womyn POTUS.  And if you do have proof of that level then you better not have any indiscretions in your past because they will be found and used against you and your family.

    • #44
  15. Bartholomew Xerxes Ogilvie, Jr. Coolidge
    Bartholomew Xerxes Ogilvie, Jr.
    @BartholomewXerxesOgilvieJr

    BrentB67:Only if Joe Biden walks into the oval office and says “Barack. I think we have unfinished business and I want to finish what we started. I want to ensure your legacy achievements remain intact.”

    Maybe I’ve seen The Force Awakens too many times, but when I read that scenario, I couldn’t help picturing Biden as Kylo Ren, and Obama as the melted remains of Darth Vader’s helmet. Kinda works, actually.

    • #45
  16. James Gawron Inactive
    James Gawron
    @JamesGawron

    To all,

    One small detail. All of this is on the emails that were given up by the State Dept itself. The FBI has the server with those 30,000 yoga emails on it.

    Also, she is indictable just for having the private server & the classified emails. The FBI just expanded the investigation to Clinton Cash. If the book is only halfway right there is a pattern of contributions that match favorable State Dept. decisions that is as clear as day.

    We shall see.

    Regards,

    Jim

    • #46
  17. John Seymour Member
    John Seymour
    @

    James Madison: From the beginning I have doubted she should would be indicted. There remain twists and turns inside the FBI, the AG office and the White House. But, the weight of the evidence has clearly shifted and Dr. Epstein is nice to only say 30%. If we were playing under Queensbury rules, the number would be easily above 50%. He is no doubt handicapping for the political interference factor.

    If we were playing under Queensbury rules we would be much closer to 100%.  The Fibbies have, from what I’ve read, over 100 agents involved in the investigation, which has spread from the original national security issues to public corruption.  Hard to believe they would commit that many resources if there weren’t signs of a heck of a fire at the base of all that smoke.  But we aren’t playing under Queensbury rules, so the odds probably are between 30% and 50%.  But if not, then the leaks start, including the leak of the FBI recommendation to prosecute and that probably tanks her campaign as effectively as an indictment.

    • #47
  18. Tuck Inactive
    Tuck
    @Tuck

    Peter Robinson: “…the Democratic Party’s presumed nominee for President…”

    If that wasn’t who she was, it would be 100%—see Petraeus.  Which tells us we’re 70% corrupt, I suppose.

    Nixon was a piker next to Obama and Clinton.  But that was back when the country had principles.

    Would Nixon have resigned/been hounded out of office if he were a Democrat?

    • #48
  19. John Seymour Member
    John Seymour
    @

    James Gawron: The FBI just expanded the investigation to Clinton Cash. If the book is only halfway right there is a pattern of contributions that match favorable State Dept. decisions that is as clear as day.

    This is probably why they have so many resources on it.  A competent White House would have Biden or another ringer in the race by now, unless they had complete control of the FBI, which I don’t think they do.  They probably could have stopped an investigation from happening, but I don’t think they will be able to stop this.  The Obama Administration, the corruption of Nixon with the incompetence of Carter.  And as a follow-up the Dems want to anoint a woman who is so corrupt she makes Nixon look like a boy scout.

    • #49
  20. John Seymour Member
    John Seymour
    @

    Tuck:

    Peter Robinson: “…the Democratic Party’s presumed nominee for President…”

    If that wasn’t who she was, it would be 100%—see Petraeus. Which tells us we’re 70% corrupt, I suppose.

    Nixon was a piker next to Obama and Clinton. But that was back when the country had principles.

    Would Nixon have resigned/been hounded out of office if he were a Democrat?

    Great minds . . . .

    • #50
  21. John Seymour Member
    John Seymour
    @

    Bryan G. Stephens:The Democrats are a Criminal Enterprise pretending to be a political policy. They would have indited a Republican by now. They will never eat one of their own.

    Don’t Forget the Menendez exception – piss of Obama, and suddenly look for your indictment.  I am the last to suggest a New Jersey Democratic Senator isn’t likely to be thoroughly corrupt, but I don’t believe for a second that he would have been indicted if he hadn’t opposed the Iran deal.  I suspect Obama hates Bill and Hillary Clinton worse than he hates Menendez.

    • #51
  22. nyconservative Member
    nyconservative
    @nyconservative

    I have little faith in the Obama justice department to do the right thing but with all the leaks and evidence of obvious wrongdoing I cannot imagine the FBI NOT recommending a prosecution and not stating that their work has led them to believe she broke the rules and the law……as far as i am concerned it matters not whether or not she is indicted,once the FBI makes their finding public which will happen then the ballgame is over…you cannot run for president with the FBI suggesting you broke the law regarding classified info that may have undermined the safety of the nation!

    • #52
  23. Douglas Inactive
    Douglas
    @Douglas

    Fake John/Jane Galt:She will not be indicted. This whole circus is damage control to exonerate her and give her campaign a boost when needed. If there are any issues found that can not be spun or ignored they will be redirected to a Clinton sacrificial pawn.

    Anyone that thinks HRC will be indicted for anything is living in Wishful Thinking World.

    • #53
  24. Ramblin' Lex Inactive
    Ramblin' Lex
    @RamblinLex

    Great.  She can stroll from inauguration at the Capitol to arraignment in court.  Only a Clinton can give an inaugural address in the morning and enter a not guilty plea in the afternoon.

    • #54
  25. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Dang it, Peter . . . I love Richard Epstein, but it really is a 50-50 situation.  They (Justice Dept.) will either indict, or not indict.  Rush firmly believes they will not, but I disagree.  I think there is a strong possibility they will indict, and Hillary will be put under pressure by Obama to drop her candidacy for a Nixonian “pardon in advance”.

    As I said in a previous post, the Biden/Warren ticket is waiting in the wings . . .

    • #55
  26. Sabrdance Member
    Sabrdance
    @Sabrdance

    Much like Caesar running for Pontifex Maximus, or the Grachii, Marius, or Sulla running for Consul -she will either return from the election as a President, or she will not return.

    • #56
  27. BrentB67 Inactive
    BrentB67
    @BrentB67

    John Seymour:

    James Madison: From the beginning I have doubted she should would be indicted. There remain twists and turns inside the FBI, the AG office and the White House. But, the weight of the evidence has clearly shifted and Dr. Epstein is nice to only say 30%. If we were playing under Queensbury rules, the number would be easily above 50%. He is no doubt handicapping for the political interference factor.

    If we were playing under Queensbury rules we would be much closer to 100%. The Fibbies have, from what I’ve read, over 100 agents involved in the investigation, which has spread from the original national security issues to public corruption. Hard to believe they would commit that many resources if there weren’t signs of a heck of a fire at the base of all that smoke. But we aren’t playing under Queensbury rules, so the odds probably are between 30% and 50%. But if not, then the leaks start, including the leak of the FBI recommendation to prosecute and that probably tanks her campaign as effectively as an indictment.

    Do you think it is possible all of those people and assets are committed to the project so the justice department can say “Look, we committed 100’s of agents to diligently look at every possible email and aspect of the case and we came up clean…..”

    • #57
  28. Brian Watt Inactive
    Brian Watt
    @BrianWatt

    Mark Wilson:Maybe if we keep pasting that orange jumpsuitpantsuit picture all over the place, the obviousness of her wrongdoing will seep into the subconscious of anyone who sees it.

    Or this:

    HillaryLecter

    • #58
  29. Frank Soto Member
    Frank Soto
    @FrankSoto

    BrentB67: Do you think it is possible all of those people and assets are committed to the project so the justice department can say “Look, we committed 100’s of agents to diligently look at every possible email and aspect of the case and we came up clean…..”

    Don’t think so.  There are numerous leaks saying that the FBI is going to have a mutiny on their hands if she gets off clean.  The agents appear to be as outraged as Dave Carter in comment #39.  They know they would have the book thrown at them if they had done these things.

    • #59
  30. livingthehighlife Inactive
    livingthehighlife
    @livingthehighlife

    Frank Soto:

    BrentB67: Do you think it is possible all of those people and assets are committed to the project so the justice department can say “Look, we committed 100’s of agents to diligently look at every possible email and aspect of the case and we came up clean…..”

    Don’t think so. There are numerous leaks saying that the FBI is going to have a mutiny on their hands if she gets off clean. The agents appear to be as outraged as Dave Carter in comment #39. They know they would have the book thrown at them if they had done these things.

    If there is no indictment, I think we could expect such a flood of leaked information Hillary would be permanently damaged.

    • #60
Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.