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Boehner: Hillary Broke Law in Handling of Her Email
Thursday, April 23, 2015 05:30 PM
By: Billy House and Mark Halperin
U.S. House Speaker John Boehner said Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton are good public servants but have explaining to do about their charitable foundation and said her handling of official emails as secretary of state broke the law.
"They're good people, but there's questions that have to be answered," said Boehner. He was asked during an interview Thursday with Bloomberg Television's "With All Due Respect" whether the Democratic presidential candidate and the former president are ethically and morally fit.
Boehner was referring to issues concerning the Clintons' foundation and its acceptance of donations from foreign governments, as well as the former secretary of state's use of private email and server. He suggested the U.S. House could ultimately resort to issuing a subpoena for the server.
A stand-off on releasing some of those emails has become a flashpoint in a House select committee investigation into the September 2012 attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya.
During the interview conducted at the U.S. Capitol, Boehner said there was a "50-50" chance that Clinton could be elected president, yet wouldn't say who he wants to be the Republican nominee. He also said there was a "50-50 chance at best" that Congress could accomplish some form of overhaul of corporate tax law this year.
"The challenge there is how do you deal with 70 percent of American businesses that don't pay corporate tax rates," said Boehner, referring to partnerships and S corporations.
"It will be very difficult to do corporate tax reform without also the pass-through entities," he said, noting that such businesses pay taxes through their owners' individual returns.
On foreign policy, Boehner said the messages he's heard from U.S. allies in the Middle East is that "they are wondering where America is. When is America going to lead?"
He said the problem of Islamic State and Iran spreading terrorism "is growing faster than we and our allies are able to get our arms around."
"What's missing here is an overarching strategy," he said. "It is a danger to the United States."
Pressed about whether U.S. policy should involve bringing about regime change in Iran, and whether covert action should be used, Boehner declined to discuss any covert aspect. Yet he said, "I would like to see regime change. I think the American people would like to see regime change."
On who he'd like to see as the Republican presidential nominee in 2016, Boehner said, "I know the field. I am not endorsing anybody."
When asked about whether he has been nudging Jeb Bush to run for some time, Boehner explained, "Jeb and I have been friends for a long time," and that he thinks Bush can talk about the party's as well as anyone.
Boehner added that he thought Bush's track record as governor of Florida was "exemplary."
He said it would take people "a little time to figure out he is not George and he is not his dad."
Asked about concerns by some people over yet another Bush or Clinton running for president, Boehner said both would have to go through a primary process.
"A little unusual American history," he said.
Boehner's comments on the House Benghazi investigation and the Clinton emails showed a sense of frustration, at a time when Democrats are asserting the Republican scrutiny is being dragged out for political reasons.
"She violated the law," said Boehner regarding Clinton. "She signed a sheet when she got there she was going to preserve all of these records."
Boehner said that "there are a lot of public documents on that server that the American people have a right to see." He said it is time for her to turn over her server and all documents to the State Department inspector general.
Pressed on whether the House would subpoena the information, he said there was no decision yet.
"If we need to do that, we may have to," he said.
On a more personal note, Boehner, 65, also said he doesn't intend to serve as speaker beyond age 70 -- meaning less than six years.
"Way less" than 10 years, he said. "I'm not going to be here forever."
