politics

U.S. Ambassador Kennedy used private email for business: report

32 Comments
By MATTHEW PENNINGTON

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32 Comments
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The report says the ambassador is very popular in Japan because of her family history

As alluded to by countless numbers of posters here, including myself, she got the position because of her name, and not because she would be a good ambassador.

3 ( +10 / -7 )

Doesn't surprise me in the least, to be honest. Obama should've chose a career diplomat to fill the post, than a self-serving dilettante. The ambassador selection process has become a joke as of recent.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

State Department spokesman John Kirby said that although Kennedy did “infrequently” use private email, there was no indication she violated department policy

Then it's much ado about nothing.

3 ( +9 / -6 )

Then it's much ado about nothing.

Then I suppose it's ok for politicians to flaunt the laws that they created in the first place?

0 ( +7 / -7 )

@Yubaru

"flout". : )

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Then I suppose it's ok for politicians to flaunt the laws that they created in the first place?

Did you not read the text I quoted?

there was no indication she violated department policy

If she wasn't violating policy there was no flouting of any laws.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

"Then it's much ado about nothing."

You're correct. And also: "The report does not appear to suggest a serious information breach." But that won't stop her critics who disliked her from the beginning simply because of "her name".

2 ( +5 / -3 )

It seems that she really did not care about mixing private and official emails for years.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Who cares? She's not running for president.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

The entitled class. Rules are beneath them.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

lol, i find it so amazing that no one in this class of people can keep their email accounts separate when everyone else can

big business is studious in this regard- but politicians ( oh it is too confusing, computers were just invented... oh i am sooo confused)

as for why you should care- she is a US Ambassador, privy to state secrets , and able to set the level of secrets - so if she wants to send secrets via personal email she will just decide it is Sensitive - and viola! the Launch codes go forth in plain English!

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Doesn't the celebrity Ambassador Caroline Kennedy know email isn't private and is one of the least secure methods of communication and as a government employee you have even less privacy than the little privacy, a typical employee in the private sector may have. I believe in America under various public records and the Freedom of Information Act you can have access to almost anything a government employee writes down. In other words, you have to treat every mail as though it were open to the public to read and even after you've deleted your emails they will be available for years from others sources.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Look at this in a broader perspective. What does this all mean?

A huge national debate and resizing, realignment, and restructuring of the government is in order without changing the constitution. The big problem is that it must be realistic, practical, meaningful and fair (not necessarily equal) and human without religious, sex, racial, educational, and etc. bias. So one issue at a time? But that takes much too long, does it not? Then what?

Cannot stop operation, but those that run it CAN BE REMOVED and CHANGED.

That is the first and most important step. Obama did it by putting all 1960's "declared" communists and socialists into Departments, look at what happened to the USA. While idealism may appear to be good... both in order to work, to be put into practice, in to operation, require a centralized control. That means autocracy or dictatorship or totalitarianism.

The difference is WHO is running the system and who are doing the work. It is not just who did the legislation. The legislation is "interpreted' and put into practice by those in the system. And the person at the top of that system and structure, the Department head" makes ALL the difference in the world. That is exactly what the USA is facing today which wastes time and money allowing some other agendas for change to occur, merely by the inability to act and act on time.

Clinton and Kennedy are at the top of their own structure so much of what they do is not monitored, unless their "bosses' and their "conscience" do. It appears that both do not have either.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

As Strangerland has already pointed out, the article quotes the State Department person as saying, "there was no indication she violated department policy," What part of that do you not understand?

If this is the case then she seems have used poor judgement. Not a strong point for an ambassador to a country the US claims is one of it's strongest allies.

The State Department’s Office of Inspector General said that it identified instances where emails labeled “sensitive but unclassified” were sent from or received by personal email accounts. Department policy is that employees generally should not use such accounts for official business, the watchdog’s office said.

However, this is ambiguous here, it is not made clear whether or not she actually archived the emails in the government system.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said that although Kennedy did “infrequently” use private email, there was no indication she violated department policy, which allows its sparing and careful use if the information sent or received is then archived in a government system. He said classified information was not sent by private email, and that Kennedy did not use a personal email server.

Yes it appears that she FLOUTED the laws, in a flaunting manner, typical of a Kennedy, in my opinion.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

she got the position because of her name, and not because she would be a good ambassador.

Of course she did. Others get theirs for campaign contributions. That's how the appointee system works.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Exactly. Who cares? She's just an ambassador, what's the big debate about?

0 ( +3 / -3 )

If this is the case then she seems have used poor judgement.

She was acting within the rules, so how exactly is that poor judgement?

Yes it appears that she FLOUTED the laws, in a flaunting manner

Seeing as she was acting within the rules, what laws exactly did she flout?

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Ditto on who cares. Ambassadors are expendable as we saw in Libya. No support, no rescue and deaf ears for increased security requests.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

She supported Obama and she used to bsd mouth Hillary on DEM presidential campaign. She was appointed because both dem and GOP lawmakers agreed to appoint her. Check record. t was Manjo tthi. in both Congress and Senate.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

She means well.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Totally clueless. The comments above to "the entitled class" hit the nail on the head. Anybody who believes that the United States is a functioning democracy needs to be in therapy. Whether it is the Democrats or the Republicans, the leadership gene pool is amazing shallow. Moreover, as a host country, why doesn't Japan get upset with the fact that Tokyo is a soft posting, a bit of political pork? It has been a very long-time since Washington dispatched either a career diplomat or a Japan specialist as ambassador. I suppose that fact alone highlights the attitudes of both parties. When Japan has an issue with the US, it goes direct without wasting time with the local mission. To wit, Washington flies in specialist negotiators when it needs something done.

Anyway, where does somebody sign up for this ambassador gig? It seems that just about any loon qualifies.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

As alluded to by countless numbers of posters here, including myself, she got the position because of her name, and not because she would be a good ambassador.

But she's not bad either. Anycase, she's an Ambassador of the United States, her role is to represent the United States, not many people remember Ambassadors throughout history, many Japanese can name the US Ambassador than any other Ambassador from any other country (just do a test, "how many Ambassador's names do you know?"), including their own in the United States they have no idea. She's doing exactly what an Ambassador should be doing, so if name is the main factor, good for her.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Trump is gonna have a field day with this one. He already dislikes her for "allowing Japan to sell cars to the US while US auto and farm stuff can't be sold to Japan".

1 ( +1 / -0 )

it seems the 1% political elite assumes rule does not apply to them as they spin around with semantic nonsense. She did not have a personal server that was wiped clean as Hillary, at least. They all should bear consequences as the rest.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

it seems the 1% political elite assumes rule does not apply to them

Did you not read the article? As it said:

there was no indication she violated department policy

So seeing as the article says she wasn't violating any rules, what rule exactly did she assume doesn't apply to her?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

al la Hilary. like all these bigwigs, think the rules don't apply to them.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Bush appointed his business partner at the Texas Rangers to be Ambassador to Japan.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

In this high-tech age in which the cell phone and other gadgets like it are "part" of the human body, it's no wonder such things happen. Wonder how many more such devices are being used to send classified, sensitive and other such messages in the "line of work."

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The State Department made it very clear that Kennedy violated no rules and broke no laws.

So, what's really going on with the hate-fest? (Yubaru?) It can't really be something so petty as disdain for her storied family name, can it?

She enjoys broad popularity and support across Japan, has managed to represent U.S. interest well (anyone seeing Futenma closing up shop?), and hasn't caused any international incidents. What else do you want from your ambassador? Japan is a friend and ally, so there aren't really a lot of opportunities for intrigue and political drama, much less hardball diplomacy.

Unless you like to spy on your friends and allies and inadvertently get caught and need to mitigate the fallout. (Ahem! cough! cough!)

2 ( +3 / -1 )

@DannytheGaijinAUG. 26, 2015 - 07:49AM JST Doesn't surprise me in the least, to be honest. Obama should've chose a career diplomat to fill the post, than a self-serving dilettante. The ambassador selection process has become a joke as of recent

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Write the name of last US ambassador US Congress and Senate appointed. Don't forget the name of country.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

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