Clinton IT aide to plead the Fifth in email case

[JDPriestly]

45. There are potentially two cases. One is civil and active, in which he is pleading the Fifth.

The fact that he is pleading the Fifth suggests that his lawyers think that he might be guilty of a criminal offense. He isn't guilty until found guilty in court, but he does not want to be required in a civil case to admit acts for which he could be found guilty in a criminal case.

He has been granted immunity according to news reports in the FBI investigation. There is no criminal case, at least no criminal case that has been announced publicly. I really don't think there is a criminal case yet.

Sometimes prosecutors grant immunity to a person believed to have been involved in criminal acts at some level in order to facilitate the prosecutors' investigation of acts by a suspect that is of greater importance to them.

Prosecutors have a lot of discretion in deciding whether they will prosecute someone and in some cases which of a number of suspects they will prosecute.

I don't know what they are doing in this specific case. But the criminal investigation and the civil case are two separate things.

Personally, I will be surprised if Hillary faces criminal charges. She just has too much political clout for that.

This controversy will cause Hillary and the Democratic Party great sorrow should she be our nominee in my opinion.