President Trump and his staff are literally repeating all of Hillary Clinton's mistakes


They say history repeats itself, but what they don't tell you is that sometimes it doesn't take very long. President Trump and his closest staffers are seemingly making the exact same missteps as Hillary Clinton. Here's a look. Jeva Lange
The private email server
Hillary Clinton famously used a private email server while serving as secretary of state, an act Trump once claimed "disqualifies her from seeking presidency." But Trump's senior White House staff use a private Republican National Committee server, Newsweek reports. This isn't explicitly illegal — but it's led to some scrutiny in the past, such as when 22 million emails vanished under former President George W. Bush, or when the Russians possibly compromised the RNC server at the same time as their hack on the Democratic National Committee. Any emails that aren't forwarded from the private server to a White House address are also in violation of the Presidential Records Act. "Given how hard the Trump campaign hammered Clinton [on] her own use of a private email server during her tenure [...] this is not a good look," Engadget writes.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The personal email account
While government officials have not always used .gov accounts, Clinton's usage was ruled as "more serious" in 2016. "The audit did note that former Secretary of State Colin Powell had also exclusively used a private email account. ... But the failings of Clinton were singled out in the audit as being more serious than her predecessor," The Associated Press reported last May. This past Thursday, Twitter users noticed that Trump's @POTUS Twitter account appeared to be linked to the personal Gmail account of his White House social media director, Dan Scavino. Scavino has apparently fixed that, but linking to a commercial email address made the Twitter account more vulnerable to hacking.
The ties to Teneo
Trump's former spokesman, Jason Miller, turned down a White House position in December, citing commitments to his family. On Friday, Axios reported Miller was taking a position with Teneo Strategy, a company that once put the Clintons in hot water. The Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee scrutinized for years whether Teneo had "improper access to the highest levels of U.S. government" when Clinton was secretary of state, Reuters reports. While Miller does not have a job in the White House, he assured in December that he looks "forward to continuing to support the president-elect from the outside after my work on the transition concludes."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Apple bows to Trump administration pressure over ICE tracking apps
In the Spotlight It’s the latest company to capitulate to Trump’s demands
-
Can TrumpRx really lower drug prices?
Today’s Big Question Pfizer’s deal with Trump sent drugmaker stocks higher
-
‘Every argument has a rational, emotional, and rhetorical component’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deployment
Speed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland