KAFTAN Post Correspondent (Washington D.C)
Reactions to the Mueller reports have compounded further following the recent publication by former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Cliton, who in 2016 was a major contender for the Office of the President of the United States – but lost dramatically to US President, Donald Trump.
Hillary took to Instagram on Wednesday evening in a post to her 4.3million followers, calling for Congress to be ‘deliberate, fair and fearless’ in its ongoing deliberations on the Mueller files.
The post which she captioned: “How I think we should respond to the Mueller report – demand action and accountability: We have to get this right”, leads to a published statement on The Washington Post where her opening comments highlight her definitive sentiments towards the ongoing political situation, to which she is heavily associated.
“Our election was corrupted, our democracy assaulted, our sovereignty and security violated. It documents a serious crime against the American people” she said.
Hillary’s comments comes at a time when revelations made by the Mueller Reports show Trump’s fixation on using Law Enforcement to target a rival. Where her critics may weigh in on the sentiments, she declared: “Obviously, this is personal for me, and some may say that I’m not the right messenger. But my perspective is not just that of a former candidate and target of the Russian plot. I am also a former senator and secretary of state who served during much of Vladi¬mir Putin’s ascent, sat across the table from him and knows firsthand that he seeks to weaken our country”.
Hillary whose past political obligations have her bound by fate to the ongoing political debate is notable for having good knowledge of navigating the US political waters, making her relevant to offer advice for how the country may proceed with its response to the recent Mueller reports. In 1974, Hillary served as a young staff attorney on the House Judiciary Committee’s Watergate impeachment inquiry and was FLOTUS during the impeachment process that began in 1998.
Her thoughts which were articulated in four concise points gave premise to the nation’s interest and called for all to ‘put party and political considerations aside’. She said; “like any time our nation is threatened, we have to remember that this is bigger than politics. What our country needs now is clear-eyed patriotism, not reflexive partisanship. Whether they like it or not, Republicans in Congress share the constitutional responsibility to protect the country. Mueller’s report leaves many unanswered questions — in part because of Attorney General William P. Barr’s redactions and obfuscations. But it is a road map. It’s up to members of both parties to see where that road map leads — to the eventual filing of articles of impeachment, or not”.
No matter how dense the clouds over new facts presented by the Mueller reports, recent evidence of corruption and possible cover up is blowing aggressively to uncover any executive privilege that may have been used to shelter criminal conduct in Trumps presidential climate. Hillary suggested that, as in the case for Watergate – where White House aides were compelled to testify, Mueller, Donald McGahn and other key witnesses cited in the ongoing investigations should be subjected to televised hearings which serve as factual record and would help the public understand facts better than having sole dependence on legal reports.
She also suggested a formal impeachment inquiry against the President and cited John Doar, former Justice Department official as one who is most qualified for the job given his history. “If today’s House proceeds to an impeachment inquiry, I hope it will find someone as distinguished and principled as Doar to lead it,” she declared.
Her third point centered on the implication of the president’s possible obstruction of justice on US national security. She recalled the memory of a recommended step that followed the 9/11 attacks, which provided help against future attacks through the establishment of a special security commission and called for the replication of such steps to help protect future elections in the United States. “This is necessary because the president of the United States has proved himself unwilling to defend our nation from a clear and present danger” she wrote.
Earlier this month, reports indicated that the US President Donald Trump’s recently resigned secretary of homeland security Kirstjen Nielsen, attempted to prioritize election security due to concerns surrounding Russia’s continued interference in 2020 and was told by the acting White House chief of staff “not to bring it up in front of the president”. Senior administration officials also reported that Nielsen had ‘no intention of quitting’ prior to her meeting with the president and that she was ‘forced to step down’ given that her announcement of resignation came shortly after the meeting.
Hillary’s response proposition also implored House Democrats to ‘stay focused on the sensible agenda that voters demanded in the midterms while pursuing all other efforts’. This included a call to protecting health care and investing in infrastructure simultaneously. “It’s not only possible to move forward on multiple fronts at the same time, it’s essential. The House has already passed sweeping reforms that would strengthen voting rights and crack down on corruption, and now is the time for Democrats to keep their foot on the gas and put pressure on the do-nothing Senate.”
She ended with a warning that the Mueller report is much more than a reckoning about US recent political history and called it a ‘warning about the future’. Her points were clear in the comments she gave, stating that; “unless checked, the Russians will interfere again in 2020, and possibly other adversaries, such as China or North Korea, will as well. This is an urgent threat. Nobody but Americans should be able to decide America’s future. And, unless he’s held accountable, the president may show even more disregard for the laws of the land and the obligations of his office. He will likely redouble his efforts to advance Putin’s agenda, including rolling back sanctions, weakening NATO and undermining the European Union.”
While many have reacted duly to the points made by the former presidential hopeful on social media, the US president, who is famous for his eruptive Twitter compositions, is yet to comment on Hillary’s statement.
