All politicians, Democrats and Republicans alike, must have one. A close confidante, a "hitman/fixer" that mostly flies under the radar but is in the pol's ear 24/7. They are trusted advisers, sounding boards, and most of them offer options for their bosses when critical situations arise. Obama has Valerie Jarrett. Bill Clinton had John Podesta, and it looks like Hillary Clinton has Sidney Blumenthal.
Just who is Sid Blumenthal anyway? Most people who vaguely remember the chaos of the Clinton administration perhaps have heard his name – but who was he, what did he do, and why is he still Mrs. Clinton's silent partner?
This past week his name resurfaced prior to the Friday afternoon dump of Hillary's State Department emails. It seems that old Sid has never moved on from his Clinton attachment and is actively involved in all things Clinton. From being in constant contact with Hillary to working for the Clinton Foundation and also working for a group run by a powerful Clinton ally, he is joined at the hip with both of them.
Blumenthal has a strong relationship with Hillary mainly because of his aggressive tactics used to defend her and Bill in the past. When a story surfaced that cast them in a negative light he would attack the messenger by digging in to find out who the reporters were that broke the story and then would push negative stories about anyone who would dare investigate Bill. Because he was a former reporter, he knew how to lean on and manipulate the press. His tactics were so underhanded and vile that in some quarters he was known as Sid "Vicious."
So Sid is back; actually, it seems he never left. According to the uncovered emails, he was communicating back and forth with Hillary on her private email server about the situation in Benghazi. Even after Obama and his team told Hillary that she was not to hire Blumenthal for any State Department position because of the smears he levied against Obama in 2008, she, in typical Clinton fashion, went through other channels, hiding the fact that Sid was advising her privately through her personal email account.
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The information revealed in these emails shows that he told her about the situation on the ground in Libya and then later relayed to her the theory of the infamous "video" being the cause of the attack against the ambassador and the compound. He retracted that statement hours later and sent another email verifying that it had indeed been a planned terrorist attack. Obviously, this is validation that she knew the truth of the situation but made the decision to lie about it anyway. The lie would provide cover during the 2012 presidential election.
Unfortunately, we will probably never know how deeply involved Blumenthal was in the Benghazi situation because Clinton destroyed most of the emails and won't turn over the server. If Rep. Trey Gowdy grills him under oath, I doubt that anything substantial will surface because Sid knows that Hillary and Bill have his back and have scrubbed any trace of damning information. Between Cheryl Mills and Huma Abedin, you can be sure that all the T's have been crossed.
Sidney Blumenthal may not be a highly visible figure in Hillary's campaign – that honor is left to Mills, Abedin and others – but you can rest assured that he is lurking in the shadows, always in her ear, ready to advise her and destroy anyone who tries to derail her path to the presidency. It wouldn't surprise me if he were one of the voices telling her to avoid the press and remain above it all while she runs virtually unopposed.
If Hillary Clinton does win the nomination and then the presidency, Blumenthal is just a sample of the same old Clinton players and tactics we have seen before. It has worked for them for decades, so why should they change?
I do have one question, though: Why are all of these actors so dedicated, loyal and willing to fall on their swords for Bill and Hillary year after year? Why do they choose to stay mired in scandal after scandal, always having to put out fires? Are the rewards so great or are the Clintons buying that loyalty by holding some secrets like the politicians on the Netflix series "House of Cards"?
Nothing would surprise me.
Media wishing to interview Morgan Brittany, please contact [email protected].
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