Earlier this week, we highlighted the case of a sailor in the U.S. Navy who was being prosecuted for using his phone to take pictures in a nuclear submarine. His lawyer cited Hillary Clinton as a defense.
At the time, I said:
Cases like these highlight the growing feeling among many Americans that there are two sets of rules in this country and that some people are above the law if they have the right connections.
Unfortunately for the sailor, the Clinton defense didn’t work. U.S. News and World Report has the story:
Sailor Denied ‘Clinton Deal’, Gets 1 Year in Prison for 6 Photos of SubA former Navy machinist mate who admitted taking photos inside a nuclear submarine was sentenced to a year in prison Friday, with a federal judge rebuffing a request for probation in light of authorities deciding not to prosecute Hillary Clinton for mishandling classified information on a private email server as secretary of state.Kristian Saucier’s attorneys argued in a court filing last week that Clinton had been “engaging in acts similar to Mr. Saucier” with information of much higher classification. It would be “unjust and unfair for Mr. Saucier to receive any sentence other than probation for a crime those more powerful than him will likely avoid,” attorney Derrick Hogan wrote.U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill sentenced Saucier to one year in prison and a $100 fine, along with six months home confinement, 100 hours of community service and a ban on owning guns, his legal team says. Prosecutors had asked for six years behind bars.”We’re very pleased,” says Greg Rinckey, another defense attorney for Saucier.Rinckey says he’s not sure if the judge was swayed by significant media attention comparing Saucier’s case with the Clinton email controversy.
Politico notes an interesting aspect of the judge’s decision:
Rinckey said the judge didn’t believe Saucier’s actions were part of a nefarious scheme, but did believe they needed to be punished.”He did not buy into the government’s sky-is-falling theory, [but] said he does have to send a message to other Navy and military personnel that classified information needs to be handled appropriately,” the defense attorney said.
So, members of our armed forces must be “sent a message” about things like this? What about people running to be Commander in Chief?
Here’s a video report from Wochit News which provides a little more background:
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