Ed clintonemails.com: Who is Eric Hoteham?

[davefoc]

Why was it a bad idea to "commingle her SoS emails with her other kinds of emails" ?
What specific bad consequences have followed from that specific action ?

Others have responded, but I took your question to be specifically about my claim that commingling her private and public emails was a bad idea that any lawyer (eta: except of course Clinton herself) would have advised against.

Commingling of the emails caused two kinds of potential problems, public relations and legal.

The public relations problem is obvious. After Clinton's failure to turn over her SoS emails was discovered she was forced to embark on an embarrassing project to separate her private and public emails. This was close to absolute proof that she never intended to comply with the rules requiring her to turn over her emails and it had the potential to look like she was hiding incriminating emails. In fact, the process used by Clinton to separate her public and private emails has been one of the factors involved in this scandal that has led to the most criticism of Clinton.

The legal problem is that discovery of problematic material of one type in her emails could lead to the forced review of her entire email database. This is in fact is what happened when classified material was discovered on her server and now the FBI is investigating all the contents of the server. It also might have happened if some of the quasi legal activity of Clinton's foundation became involved in a legal dispute and Clinton could be shown to have been involved in the problematic actions of her foundation. Her husband is not pulling down world record setting speech fees because the people that hire him like the way he looks. There is also the possibility that some of her political activities could lead to a review of the contents of the disk. Sid Blumenthal seems to have been involved in secretly running a campaign to discredit Carolyn Kennedy and secret libelous attacks can certainly lead to legal actions including discovery.

If the FBI did discover emails outside of the classified material issue that pointed to crimes, a prosecutor could easily argue that the private emails discovered by the FBI that were evidence of a crime could be used against Clinton. This seems to be a well established point of law. If the police gain access to your house for a legal reason and find evidence of a crime in plain site that evidence can be used against you.

 

[Sherkeu]

As many times as it takes you to actually provide evidence, rather than simply making assertions about what "might have happened" and the actual likelihood of something happening.

In this case, a claim was made that co-mingling emails is bad. I want to know why, specifically.

In addition to the problems it has caused for her, it's not a good way to function well at the job.
Every time she was notified of email or looked at her inbox, half of it would have been her personal "stuff". On days where she needed high level focus as the top diplomat, this would have been an unnecessary distraction.

 

[davefoc]

In addition to the problems it has caused for her, it's not a good way to function well at the job.
Every time she was notified of email or looked at her inbox, half of it would have been her personal "stuff". On days where she needed high level focus as the top diplomat, this would have been an unnecessary distraction.

This is an excellent point.

 

[TheL8Elvis]

In addition to the problems it has caused for her, it's not a good way to function well at the job.
Every time she was notified of email or looked at her inbox, half of it would have been her personal "stuff". On days where she needed high level focus as the top diplomat, this would have been an unnecessary distraction.

I'm sorry, but I don't think I can take seriously the claim that Clinton couldn't do her job effectively because she was busy checking her email due to the fact she didn't know if it was work related or not.

 

[davefoc]

I'm sorry, but I don't think I can take seriously the claim that Clinton couldn't do her job effectively because she was busy checking her email due to the fact she didn't know if it was work related or not.

This is a gross overstatement of what I think Sherku intended. Most professional people have a business and a private email address. That is part of the process they use to separate their business and private lives. Business emails are taken care of at work because most of us do our best when we are focused. Getting a stream of private emails mixed in with our business emails wouldn't completely disable one's ability to do their job, but for most people it would reduce the quality of the job they are doing.

I think this was Sherku's point. You ramped it up and then dismissed your ramped up version. Not very sporting.

 

[Ziggurat]

I'm sorry, but I don't think I can take seriously the claim that Clinton couldn't do her job effectively because she was busy checking her email due to the fact she didn't know if it was work related or not.

You're right. That's totally not the reason she didn't do her job effectively. She didn't do it effectively because she's just not any good at it.

 

[The Big Dog]

You're right. That's totally not the reason she didn't do her job effectively. She didn't do it effectively because she's just not any good at it.

 

[The Big Dog]

has the recent Gallup poll been mentioned here?

Here is a link to a word cloud that must be giving Shillaries of the World nightmares

but avid readers understand only all too well.

 

[TheL8Elvis]

You're right. That's totally not the reason she didn't do her job effectively. She didn't do it effectively because she's just not any good at it.

More assertions without evidence.

 

[TheL8Elvis]

This is a gross overstatement of what I think Sherku intended. Most professional people have a business and a private email address. That is part of the process they use to separate their business and private lives. Business emails are taken care of at work because most of us do our best when we are focused. Getting a stream of private emails mixed in with our business emails wouldn't completely disable one's ability to do their job, but for most people it would reduce the quality of the job they are doing.

I think this was Sherku's point. You ramped it up and then dismissed your ramped up version. Not very sporting.

I think you just said the same thing I did, only fancier - I didn't ramp up anything, unless you want to quibble that she was doing her job effectively, but just 'at a reduced level.'

 

[applecorped]

More assertions without evidence.

Why would an opinion need any evidence?

 

[Ziggurat]

More assertions without evidence.

I just went with Occam's Razor, but I'm open to hearing other explanations for why she didn't do her job effectively.

 

[Sherkeu]

I think you just said the same thing I did, only fancier - I didn't ramp up anything, unless you want to quibble that she was doing her job effectively, but just 'at a reduced level.'

At 1% personal, no problem doing her job. At 99% personal, big problem keeping track of work emails and responding effectively.

51% personal? I think it matters. Her personal business was clearly intruding on her work space. Your opinion may differ.

How much of her inbox do you think could be personal without affecting job focus?

 

[logger]

I'm sorry, but I don't think I can take seriously the claim that Clinton couldn't do her job effectively because she was busy checking her email due to the fact she didn't know if it was work related or not.

Lol

Or classified.

 

[beren]

Why would an opinion need any evidence?

To be taken seriously. Otherwise it is no more meaningful our relevant than my opinion that the moon is made of whipped cream.

 

[mgidm86]

At 1% personal, no problem doing her job. At 99% personal, big problem keeping track of work emails and responding effectively.

51% personal? I think it matters. Her personal business was clearly intruding on her work space. Your opinion may differ.

How much of her inbox do you think could be personal without affecting job focus?

Most big companies agree with you.

Companies I've worked for in the past didn't want us dealing with our personal email at work. I've never experienced any company that doesn't give it's employees a work email address.

I can't recall anyone from the cable guy to my attorney giving me a business card that said joe@gmail.com, or joe@joeiscool.com.

Seeing as Hillary was working for me (and the rest of us taxpayers), I'd prefer she concentrated on her job. It's kinda the way things are done everywhere else.

Most of us here have come to the same, or similar, conclusions as to why she did this. This thread drags on for the few that have not.

Come to think of it, I don't remember this being mentioned here: Did she have multiple email addresses on the server, or did she only use a single email address on it? If the former then she could keep them separate, at least on her devices or within an email client (like Outlook).

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Why would an opinion need any evidence?

Especially the opinions laws were broken, or Clinton's efforts to keep her communications private were anymore than business as usual for a good majority of politicians and legislators.

Don't need no stinking evidence there.

 

[The Big Dog]

Especially the opinions laws were broken, or Clinton's efforts to keep her communications private were anymore than business as usual for a good majority of politicians and legislators.

Don't need no stinking evidence there.

Evidence that other Cabinet level executives ran their entire Department off a private server?

 

[WildCat]

Lol

Or classified.

"Oops, I accidentally CCed the classified intelligence report to Chelsea's wedding planner".

 

[applecorped]

To be taken seriously. Otherwise it is no more meaningful or relevant than my opinion that the moon is made of whipped cream.

correct