Hillary Clinton Email Scandal: What Is it and Why Does it Matter?

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In March of this year Hillary’s use of a nongovernmental email setup was revealed to the public by the New York Times in a report that has prompted a major controversy that still hangs over her presidential campaign, and will for the foreseeable future. Some are calling for a full scale investigation and charges to be brought, while others think it's no big deal.

So what became of the emails in question? After a request from the State Department (which came nearly two years after she had left office) Clinton turned over more than 30,000 messages to the agency that she and her team deemed to be possibly work-related that were on a private server she had used for official State Department business. Clinton and her staff also destroyed 31,830 messages that they decided were "personal." The private server was then wiped clean, and after two months of requests was finally turned over to the Justice Department for analysis.

When asked about whether she knowingly wiped the server Clinton responded by saying "“I don’t know, I have no idea,” she said. “Like with a cloth or something?"

The real controversy is whether or not her private server was used to store classified documents, which is a federal crime. This is laid out in 18 USC 1924 — that “whoever . . . becomes possessed of documents or materials containing classified information of the United States, knowingly removes such documents or materials without authority and with the intent to retain such documents or materials at an unauthorized location shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.”

We now know that many of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s emails would automatically have entered the world with “classified” status. So far at least 30 email threads since 2009 immediately deserve that designation based on the context in which they were written, according to a report by Reuters.

The reason why using a private server is such a massive concern is because of the lengths that the government goes to to protect classified documents. If it was ever found that her server was compromised, then that could have meant a massive leak of classified information on diplomatic negotiations and national security issues.

The FBI began it's investigation into the matter in July, after the inspector general expressed concerns over whether information had been compromised. The probe is in the beginning stages and is focused on ensuring the proper handling of classified material.

As it concerns her candidacy for presidency, there will be questions of whether a person who already has allegedly mishandled classified information should be granted authority over the armed forces and all intelligence agencies as commander in chief.

Embassy closings show the War on Terror is not over yet

Over the weekend U. S. embassies across the Middle East were closed due to security concerns. Today, the U.S. embassy in Yemen was evacuated and U.S. Citizens were told to leave the country due to an al-Qaeda threat.

In the last two weeks U.S. drones 4 times have targeted leaders of al-Qaeda in Yemen and it is believed that one of the dead  believed to be Saleh Jouti, a senior al-Qaeda member. Yesterday alone U.S. drone targeted a moving car in the  Marib province, killing four alleged al-Qaeda militants.

This comes as the State Department released a statement saying that the evacuations were due "“due to the continued potential for terrorist attacks.” After last year's terrorist attack on Benghazi it seems the administration is much more concerned with making sure that diplomatic staff in foreign countries receive adequate protection.

While it has long been known that there is a strong al-Qaeda presence in Yemen, it's strength has been growing and the potential for terrorist attacks seems more and more likely in the region due to the strong presence.

 “It’s very worrisome because al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is the most effective and threatening affiliate,” Bruce Hoffman, a Georgetown University professor told the Washington Post.

“So now the leader of the most consequential affiliate has an intimate command role in the overall organization. From Zawahiri’s point of view, there’s no better exemplar of the Qaeda brand than AQAP.”

While it is true that the core group of al-Qaeda was dispersed and diminished, it has slowly evolved in countries along the gulf and in North Africa, gaining support from governmental changes occurring due to the Arab spring and the continuing unrest in the region.

"We're witnessing another chapter of the terrorist threat and we'll be living with this for years to come,"  Juan Zarate, a deputy national security adviser under President George W. Bush who's now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington told USA Today.

The regional networks are adapting to new opportunities and continue to operate despite pressure put on them by the U.S. and others, Zarate said.

"They're also taking advantage of the political, security and geographic space they operate in. We don't control all aspects of that so it's unfair to blame U.S. policy entirely," he said.

The regional groups continue their activities supported by other radical Islamist groups in Algeria, Libya, Pakistan, Yemen, and other countries in the region. Concern continues even within the U.S. of al-Qaeda affiliates perpetrating terrorist attacks in the U.S. after the Boston Bombing earlier this year.

As the U.S. and it's allies continue to put pressure on it seems clear that we are not done yet, and continued pressure needs to be applied. It seems clear though that the senior leadership continues to be affected by the drone strikes, but that even without some of the senior leadership, the group continues.

Within the U.S. and around the world the questions continue about surveillance programs. Which wonder about their effectiveness and necessity, but results seem to show that at least some of them are necessary.

If the War on Terror can be won, one thing seems clear to us now, it won't be over soon. The theater in which the war plays out may continue to change but the overall influence of Radical Islam continues throughout much of the middle east, and until something changes to diminish it's influence it seems clear that attacks will continue to occur.