Clinton Blatantly Disregarded Security & Diplomatic Protocol

Clinton Blatantly Disregarded Security & Diplomatic Protocol

Postby admin » Thu Dec 08, 2016 3:30 am

https://sli.mg/a/nNCo7y

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

Date of transcription: 09/02/2015

On September 2, 2015, [DELETE] a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HIS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Norfolk Virginia, was interviewed at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). After being advised of the identity of the interviewing Agent and the nature of the interview, [DELETE] provided the following information:

[DELETE] was previously an agent with the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS). [DELETE] left DS in approximately [DELETE] spouse, [DELETE] was also a prior DS agent who, from 2007-2009, served as an Assistant Shift Leader on former Secretary of State CONDOLEEZZA RICE’s and HILLARY CLINTON’s protective details. [DELETE] served briefly on former Secretary CLINTON’s protective detail in 2009. From her own experience, and information obtained through [DELETE] and other agents, [DELETE] described a “stark difference” between RICE and CLINTON with regard to obedience to security and diplomatic protocols. RICE observed strict adherence to State Department security and diplomatic protocols while CLINTON frequently and “blatantly” disregarded them. For example, it is standard security and diplomatic protocol for the Secretary of State to ride in the armored limousine with the local U.S. ambassador when traveling in countries abroad. It is seen as diplomatic protocol for the Secretary of State to arrive at foreign diplomatic functions with the local ambassador; however. CLINTON refused to do so, instead choosing to be accompanied in the limousine by her Chief of Staff, HUMA ABEDIN. This frequently resulted in complaints by ambassadors who were insulted and embarrassed by this breach of protocol. [DELETE] explained that CLINTON’s protocol breaches were well known throughout Diplomatic Security and were “abundant.”

[DELETE] explained that ABEDIN possessed “much more power” over CLINTON’s staff and schedule than other former chiefs of staff. [DELETE] believed that ABEDIN herself was often responsible for overriding security and diplomatic protocols on behalf of CLINTON.

On a trip to Jakarta, Indonesia, in early 2009, CLINTON requested to visit an area of Jakarta that presented security and safety challenges. This visit was reportedly for a photo opportunity regarding CLINTON’s “clean cooking stoves” initiative. The DS advance team recommended against traveling to this area because the route could not be secured and was lined with dangerous circumstances and individuals. As such, the DS advance team recommended in writing that this excursion be stricken from the schedule but were told by DS management that it was going to happen because “she wanted it.” DS agents felt this excursion into potentially hostile areas placed CLINTON, her staff, the media, and her security detail in unnecessary danger in order to conduct a photo opportunity for “her election campaign.” DS agents had the perception that CLINTON was using her position as Secretary of State to campaign for President of the United States. DS agents felt CLINTON traveled with hand-picked media who would present her in favorable light in order to garner political support. It was also believed that CLINTON disregarded security and diplomatic protocols, occasionally without regard for the safety of her staff and protection detail, in order to gain favorable press.

CLINTON traveled in an armored vehicle whose passenger windows do not open. This is a design feature for the protection of the occupants. However, the driver’s window does open slightly. On one occasion while traveling to Palestine, CLINTON ordered the limousine driver, believed to be [DELETE] to open the window while in “occupied territory”, referring to a dangerous area of the West Bank. [DELETE] initially declined to respond to CLINTON’s request; however, repeated demands by CLINTON forced him to open his window despite the danger to himself and the occupants.

[DELETE] explained that security and diplomatic breaches were often communicated from the foreign post back to the Department of State via cables from the Regional Security Officer (RSO). These cables often described incidents like those described above. [DELETE] recommended interviewing current and former RSOs from foreign posts visited by CLINTON during her tenure for more detail into these and similar events.

Early in CLINTON’s tenure as Secretary of State, she and her staff were observed removing lamps and furniture from the State Department which were transported to her residence in Washington, D.C. [DELETE] does not know whether these items were ever returned to the government upon CLINTON’s departure from the State Department.

Despite having her own DS security detail, CLINTON continued to utilize a Secret Service security detail while at her residence in Chappaqua, New York. DS security would meet Secret Service security at the airport in New York and turn over protection to them. This practice was unknown to DS prior to CLINTON’s tenure and often presented logistical problems to both services. [DELETE] explained that CLINTON’s treatment of DS agents on her protective detail was so contemptuous that many of them sought reassignment or employment elsewhere. Prior to CLINTON’s tenure, being an agent on the Secretary of State’s protective details was seen as an honor and privilege reserved for senior agents. However, by the end of CLINTON’s tenure, it was staffed largely with new agents because it was difficult to find senior agents willing to work for her. [DELETE] claimed to have had at least one conversation with Secret Service agents who experience the same poor treatment.

Inside CLINTON’s office at the Department of State there is a security checkpoint known as “Post 1.” Post 1 is staffed by a uniformed DS officer and a DS agent and provides security to CLINTON’s inner office. CLINTON’s office is a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) and Post 1 is located within that SCIF. By DS security policy, no cell phones are allowed inside the SCIF and DS agents, officers, and staff are required to leave their cell phones outside the door in secure lockers. CLINTON refused to abide to this security requirement and brought her cell phone, believed to be a Blackberry, inside the SCIF where a DS agent assigned to Post 1 was required to guard it. DS agents were indignant that they were required to follow security policy but CLINTON made herself exempt from the same regulations.
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Re: Clinton Blatantly Disregarded Security & Diplomatic Prot

Postby admin » Thu Dec 08, 2016 11:24 pm

Clintons Return White House Furniture
by ABC NEWS
Feb. 8, 2002

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Former President Clinton and his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, have sent $28,000 worth of household goods back to Washington after questions arose over whether the items were intended as personal gifts or donations to the White House.

“We have been informed that it is being shipped back, and the National Park Service is ready to receive it, take possession of it and take custody of it,” Jim McDaniel, the National Park Service’s liaison to the White House, said Wednesday.

“The property is being returned to government custody until such time that the issues can be resolved. It may well turn out that that property is rightly the personal property of the Clintons.”

Giving Back

After they were criticized for taking $190,000 worth of china, flatware, rugs, televisions, sofas and other gifts with them when they left, the Clintons announced last week that they would pay for $86,000 worth of gifts, or nearly half the amount.

Their latest decision to send back $28,000 in gifts brings to $114,000 the value of items the Clintons have either decided to pay for or return.

McDaniel discussed the matter Wednesday with Betty Monkman, the White House curator, and Gary Walters, the chief usher, or executive manager of the White House.

They were reviewing the gifts the Clintons chose to keep after $28,000 worth of items were found on a list of donations the Park Service received for the 1993 White House redecoration project. The Washington Post this week quoted three people who said that they assumed the furnishings they donated for the project would stay in the White House.

“As a result of questions about the status of certain property donated to the White House during the Clinton administration, the National Park Service will accept the return of the property in question and act as a custodian of such property,” according to a statement released by the Park Service, which administers the White House as a unit of the national park system.

A person familiar with the Clintons’ move out of the White House, who spoke on condition of anonymity, would say only: “They’ve been returned.”

Furniture Movers

While the Clintons’ decision to return these gifts was a way to get out from under this and other criticism surrounding their departure from the White House, the couple provided scant details about the shipment.

Mrs. Clinton’s office referred all questions about the gift return to the former president’s transition office. Transition office workers said the Clintons would make no statement. They referred all questions to the Park Service, which wasn’t exactly sure which gifts were being returned or where they had been kept.

In a statement released Monday, Clinton’s transition office said every item they accepted was identified by the White House gift office as a present to them. They said none of the gifts taken was on a curator’s list of official White House property.

“Gifts did not leave the White House without the approval of the White House usher’s and curator’s offices,” the statement said. “Of course, if the White House now determines that a cataloging error occurred, ... any item in question will be returned.”

Instead of waiting for the issue to be resolved, the Clintons returned the items.

The gifts in question were: A kitchen table and four chairs valued at $3,650 from Lee Ficks of Cincinnati, Ohio; a $1,000 needlepoint rug from David Martinous of Little Rock, Ark.; two sofas, an easy chair and an ottoman worth $19,900 from Steve Mittman of New York; lamps valued at $1,170 from Stuart Shiller of Hialeah, Fla.; and a $2,843 sofa from Brad Noe, a businessman from California.


The gifts were just one of several flaps that followed the Clintons out of the White House:

Lawmakers are questioning Clinton’s desire to rent expensive office space in New York City at government expense. Because of the contention, the former president’s foundation has offered to pay at least $300,000 of an estimated $790,000 annual rent for the office Clinton favors.

Mrs. Clinton, the new senator from New York, has faced questions about the propriety of accepting the gifts in the period between her election and her swearing-in. Senate rules would have limited what she could accept had she been a senator.

Members of both parties also have criticized Clinton for granting scores of eleventh-hour clemency requests, including the pardon of Marc Rich, a fugitive in Switzerland from 51 counts in the United States of tax evasion and fraud.
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