Author: Edison Starkweather
Even though he has endorsed Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders has not conceded. In a conference call with delegates after the endorsement he said, “I am still officially a candidate. I have not suspended our campaign. I’m not going to suspend our campaign.” Bernie Sanders is still in the presidential race and may be better positioned than ever. Let me explain.
What would be the shrewdest political move Bernie could make right before Hillary’s career implodes? Ingratiating himself to her voters, of course. By endorsing Hillary, he broadens his coalition. If Hillary is forced to exit the race under growing controversy from her legal scandals, Bernie will be perfectly poised to take her place.
Hillary is likely under investigation by the FBI again, this time for lying to congress under oath. Perjury is a felony that can carry a penalty of several years in prison. James Comey’s congressional testimony under oath contradicted several statements Clinton made during the Benghazi hearings. The chairmen of both the house Judiciary and Oversight Committees were responsible for referring the matter to the FBI.
During his testimony, Comey would not comment about whether there is an ongoing investigation into the Clinton Foundation. Famed Wall Street whistle blower Charles Ortel has stated that the FBI requested and received vast amounts of data he has collected about the foundation. He believes his evidence proves that the Clinton Foundation and Clinton Global Initiative are the largest charity fraud in history. It’s rumoured that the FBI’s current investigation into Terry McAuliffe is tied to a larger probe of the Clinton Foundation. In fact, several of Hillary’s associates are ensnared in public corruption investigations or have been recently convicted.
One of Hillary’s Superdelegates, Corrine Brown, will soon face trial for charity fraud. Her indictment says that she enriched herself by “fraudulently soliciting and receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars.” Superdelegate, Bob Menendez was charged with 14 counts of corruption in April. Sheldon Silver resigned as a superdelegate after he was convicted of fraud, money laundering and extortion in April. Another of her superdelegates, Chaka Fattah, was recently found guilty of 22 counts of political corruption.
Judicial Watch are seeking Hillary’s deposition in an ongoing civil lawsuit. Three of her aides have already been deposed. The suit is aimed at answering the question of whether her private server was set up for the purpose of flouting federal record keeping laws such as the freedom of information act. It is not clear what the criminal penalty might be if she is found guilty in this case but the political fallout would be severe.
Considering the likelihood that Hillary will be forced out of the race, Bernie’s endorsement may have been a tactical master stroke of political maneuvering. Only time will tell.
