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8 highlights of Hillary Clinton's latest email dump
The latest email dump is a treasure trove of State Department gossip
The State Department's late-night release of 7,121 new pages of emails from Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of state hasn't revealed anything earth-shattering about the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, but newsorganizations have uncovered a few interesting exchanges during a night of digging. Here are eight of the most notable or interesting revelations.
1. Sid Blumenthal called John Boehner "louche, alcoholic, lazy."
In a November 2010 "memo on post-midterms," longtime Clinton friend and unofficial adviser Sidney Blumenthal passed on what he was hearing "from Republican sources and elsewhere." Along with thoughts on Karl Rove, Sarah Palin, and other GOP figures, Blumenthal had this colorful paraphrase on House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio):
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Boehner is despised by the younger, more conservative members of the House Republican Conference. They are repelled by his personal behavior. He is louche, alcoholic, lazy, and without any commitment to any principle. Boehner has already tried to buy the members with campaign contributions and committee assignments, which he has already promised to potentially difficult members. His hold is insecure. He is not [Newt] Gingrich, the natural leader of a "revolution," riding the crest into power. He is careworn and threadbare, banal and hollow, holding nobody's enduring loyalty. [Blumenthal]
2. Blumenthal shared his thoughts on the Tea Party and GOP "swamp fever."
In "some paragraphs on the Tea Party" from August 2010, Blumenthal called the GOP "captive to the swamp fevers of the extreme right." He called the Tea Party a "Trojan Horse," arguing that "the Republican Party is being purged of moderates, responsible conservatives, anyone who has a thought they don't like." Ronald Reagan, William F. Buckley, and Barry Goldwater "all drew lines to separate the party from the extremists," but with today's GOP, "have they at long last no sense of decency?"
3. Clinton supporter David Brock argued for impeaching Justice Clarence Thomas.
In late October 2010, Blumenthal passed on a memo from David Brock, a onetime conservative who went on to found the liberal Media Matters for America. In the memo, Brock lays out his case for impeaching conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
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4. The State Department's help desk didn't know about Clinton's private email address.
In February 2010, an employee at the State Department's help desk wrote Clinton asking about a complaint about "permanent fatal errors" at her email account. Clinton forwarded the message to aide Huma Abedin, asking her if she knew what this was about. Abedin wrote back that the help desk "had no idea it was YOU, just some random address so they emailed," adding that the test email "means ur email must be back!"
5. Chelsea Clinton didn't like the State Department website.
While Clinton was secretary of state, daughter Chelsea used the pseudonym Diane Reynolds. In that role, she wrote to "my favorite secretary of state " in February 2010, complaining about the lack of video of Clinton's talks and Q&A sessions on the State Department's website. "I think there should be links to the news' versions if there is not state-created footage," she added.
6. Hillary Clinton wrote nice things about 2016 rival Martin O'Malley.
Currently, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is running against Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination. In April 2010, Clinton wrote Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) about "our friend Martin," adding: "I know he has a rematch when he should be reelected by acclamation for steering the ship of state so well. Pls give him my best wishes."
7. Robbery with Hillary Clinton mask sparked high-level interest, jokes.
In December 2010, aide Cheryl Mills sent around an article about a bank robber in Virginia who held up a bank wearing a Hillary Clinton mask. "She does, uh, have an alibi, I presume?" responded Clinton's lawyer, David Kendall. "Should I be flattered?" Clinton wrote back. "Even a little bit? And, as for my alibi, well, let's just say it depends on the snow and the secret service."
8. Clinton called out "ogrish males" on her staff for lack of interest in women's issues.
"I for one loved that you finally called out the ogrish males on your staff who roll their eyes at women's issues and events," top aide Philippe Reines wrote Clinton in May 2010. "But fyi, I’m pretty sure I saw [REDACTED] roll their eyes at the very moment that you were obviously referring to them. They just don't get it."
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
