So I guess there’s no legal workaround, such as “Bill, as my body man (heh), is authorized to receive any briefs given to me. I declare that Bill Clinton has ultra-top-secret 100% clearance, same as me…”
Just what is it you think a body man is?
I don’t know if Presidents can just declare that certain people without any official position can just be cleared to get national security briefings. Of course, given their history, I could see them doing something like that and not bothering to let the public, or Congress, know about it. And then they’ll think it’s some kind of right-wing conspiracy when the NY Times reports on their legally sketchy arrangement.
But…I thought you were so confident that one of Your Guys was going to win in 2016?
Now we see you’re already rehearsing The New Clinton Scandals.
ISTM that the only legal measure for preventing proxies of this sort is the election. If you don’t think Hillary will be an independent president, don’t vote for her.
Yes. That would be an appointment to an office in the State Department. Unless she was his ex-wife.
I think so. That’s actually why I knew about the law (there was an article earlier this year explaining why it would be illegal).
Did you mean Eleanor or are you talking about Teddy’s wife?
Well, Edith did extensively remodel the White House. But I assume he means Eleanor.
Damn. Yes. I had been thinking of Edith Wilson in the prior paragraph. :smack:
Just wanted to say good job running down the legalities, Alley Dweller!
What is it with this thread and women’s names?
Prime Example: Nancy Reagan. She controlled President Reagan’s schedule and served as an unofficial gatekeeper to access to her husband. Her meddling went so far as to cause a rift with Chief of Staff Donald Regan that led to his forced resignation.
There have also been rumors, similar to Wilson, that she actually ran the Presidency for the last two years of Reagan’s second term due to his deteriorating mental condition from Alzheimer’s.
And it sounds like you’re rehearsing to defend her from something you know she’d be likely to pull.
No, I’m sure President Clinton will be able to defend herself. She’s been dealing with right wing liars for a long time.
Okay, so if she did make an arrangement to let BIll see classified documents, the public and/or Congress would be informed of that unusual arrangement. Good to know.
Former Presidents do get classified access.
You guys will never again elect a President if you spend all your time engaging in spiteful whining, you know. The people are better than that, believe it or not.
Former Presidents’ access is quite limited, actually:
And he certainly won’t be allowed to sit in on national security briefings or principal meetings, unless he is given an official position in the administration that allows for that, OR if Hillary issues an executive order.
I don’t care if she does it, it just needs to be out in the open, not a secret arrangement.
I’m quite sure that Bill Clinton can be very helpful without ever needing to see classified information.
That I endorse fully. His expertise was domestic policy anyway. And I’d expect that we’re getting a package deal. That’s a plus, not a minus. But per the OP, he can’t help her with EVERY decision, because he won’t have the same information she does.
We’ve had this discussion before…
However, I assume Bill and Hillary both live in the same state, in which case the electors of that state can’t vote for both of them; presumably, the electors would vote for Hillary and, say, Elizabeth Warren. The problem here is, this runs the risk of Bill not getting the 269 Electoral Votes needed for VP, which leaves it up to the Senate, which could very easily still be in Republican hands (the electoral votes are counted on January 7th; the newly elected Senate is Constitutionally obligated to start on January 3rd).