This is a fascinating X post. It goes:
And this is,
— 🇺🇸RealRobert🇺🇸 (@Real_RobN) February 5, 2025
the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John Ratcliffe,
the FBI was ordered by Barack Obama not to arrest Hillary Clinton for espionage in violation of — 18 U.S. Code § 793. Gathering, transmitting or los defense information. In fact, James Comey… pic.twitter.com/Dz0Bps025y
TRANSCRIPT: And this is, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John Ratcliffe.
The FBI was ordered by Barack Obama not to arrest Hillary Clinton for espionage in violation of — 18 U.S. Code § 793. Gathering, transmitting or losing defense information. In fact, James Comey effectively served as Hillary Clinton’s personal attorney.
James Comey: “What I can assure the American people is that this investigation was done honestly, competently and independently. No outside influence of any kind was brought to bear.”
CIA John Ratcliffe: “Lisa Page confirmed to me under oath that the FBI was ordered by the Obama DOJ not to consider charging Hillary Clinton for gross negligence in the handling of classified information,”
Transcript excerpt of his interview with Lisa Page:
John Ratcliffe: Okay. So let me if I can, I know I’m testing your memory, but when you say advice you got from the Department, you’re making it sound like it was the Department that told you: You’re not going to charge gross negligence because we’re the prosecutors and we’re telling you we’re not going to –
Ms. Page: That is Correct.
Some perspective
The claim that John Ratcliffe was told not to prosecute Hillary Clinton relates to several narratives and controversies surrounding the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was Secretary of State. Here are some facts based on available public information:
- Lisa Page Testimony: According to testimony by former FBI lawyer Lisa Page, as reported by various sources, she confirmed that the Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Obama administration instructed the FBI not to charge Hillary Clinton with “gross negligence” in handling classified information. This was part of closed-door testimony referenced by Rep. John Ratcliffe in 2019.
- Source: Multiple news outlets like Breitbart, Fox News, and Townhall reported on this testimony, highlighting that the decision not to prosecute was influenced by the DOJ.
- James Baker’s Perspective: James Baker, the FBI’s former general counsel, also indicated during his testimony that there were internal discussions about whether to charge Clinton. He initially thought she should be prosecuted but was later persuaded otherwise due to a lack of evidence establishing criminal intent.
- Source: Reports from hearings and news articles on these testimonies.
- Ratcliffe’s Claims on Clinton and Russia: Separately, John Ratcliffe, as Director of National Intelligence, declassified information in 2020 that alleged Hillary Clinton approved a plan to link Donald Trump to Russia to stir up a scandal. This information was controversial because it was based on “Russian intelligence analysis.” Multiple sources and officials questioned the validity of this claim, suggesting it might be Russian disinformation.
- Source: Various news outlets like CNN, The New York Post, and The Post Millennial covered this aspect, showing a range of reactions from skepticism to outright dismissal of the claim as disinformation.
The validity of all these claims will depend on further legal scrutiny, the interpretation of testimonies, and the context of the FBI’s decision-making process at the time and as ever in this cesspit – following the money.