LOCK HER UP?

Ivanka Trump used a personal email account to send hundreds of emails pertaining to official government business

During his campaign for the presidency, Donald Trump frequently used the theme “Lock Her UP” in referring to Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server to conduct her business as Secretary of State. Whenever Trump shouted “Lock Her UP,” the large crowd that had come to hear his speech shouted back, “Lock Her Up.” Even after Trump became President, he continued to say Hillary should go to prison and he was thoroughly pissed off at the FBI for not recommending she be indicted.

I suspect Trump will no longer call for Hillary’s imprisonment. Why? Because – oops - daughter Ivanka had herself used a personal email account in 2017 to exchange hundreds of emails pertaining to official government business with White House staff, Cabinet members and her personal staff..

Once The Washington Post had published the story about Ivanka’s personal email use, Trump’s daughter was subjected to a shitstorm of criticism by Democrats and a few Republicans. Most called the use of her personal email account “hypocritical.”

Congressman Elijah Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, who will become its chairman after the first of the year, has promised that the House will investigate Ivanka’s use of her personal emails.

In attempt to deflect that shitstorm, Ivanka’s staff came up with this jewel of an excuse: She was not familiar with some details of the rules. And a spokesman for her attorney released the following statement:

“While transitioning into government, until the White House provided her the same guidance they had to others who started before she did, Ms. Trump sometimes used her private account, almost always for logistics and scheduling concerning her family.”

These people must think we’re all stupid. Unless Ivanka is totally tone deaf, she could not help but have heard her father repeatedly call for Hillary’s imprisonment because she used a personal email server to conduct government business.

There are some important differences between Hillary’s and Ivanka’s use of personal email accounts. To begin with, all of Ivanka’s emails have been preserved while Hillary destroyed a large batch of her emails. And none of Ivanka’s emails were classified while a number of Hillary’s were classified. The bottom line though is that it was wrong for both women to use personal emails to conduct government business.

Almost overlooked is the fact that in 2017, Ivanka’s hubby Jared Kushner also used his personal email account to conduct official government business. But then Jared is only Trump’s son-in-law, while Ivanka is his daughter.

As for Hillary’s emails, The New York Times now reports that Trump wanted to order the Justice Department to prosecute her and former FBI Director James Comey, but his legal team warned him the President did not have the authority to do so, and if he did, he would face impeachment.

Lock her up? Somehow I don’t think you will be hearing the President shout, “Lock Ivanka Up.” And now that his daughter has been exposed, I don’t think we’ll hear Trump talking about Hillary’s email scandal again either.