Bob Woodward: Hillary Emails as Bad as Nixon Tapes

Look at those 60000 emails and youre going to get some answers. Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. There has been a great deal of speculation about the Hillary Clinton email server with many Republicans including several running for the GOP presidential nomination calling Clinton a criminal over her use of a private email server. Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward of Watergate fame said Monday the omissions remind him of the decisions made by President Richard Nixon back in the 1970s.   Former Secretary of State Hillary Clintons decision to use a private email server let alone deleting at least half of the communications on it was extraordinary says Woodward.

Youve got a massive amount of data Woodward the veteran All the Presidents Men journalist told MSNBCs Morning Joe program. It in a way reminds me of the Nixon tapes; thousands of hours of secretly recorded conversations that Nixon thought were exclusively his.

Although Clinton initially took the same position she is now cooperating. Still Woodward said he expects the investigations to go on for a long long time and the answers are probably not going to be pretty. But ironically the emails could prove to be a character study for good or for bad about Clinton he said.

Is she this secretive hidden person or is she this valiant public servant? Woodward said. Look at those 60000 emails and youre going to get some answers.

He said the FBI inspectors general and others are furious because they have spent hours being trained in the proper use of government email. Another issue Woodward said is that Clinton is blaming the controversy about her private emails on dirty politics but he pointed out that it is President Barack Obamas administration that is investigating her. Still nothing has been proven to be illegal he said and perhaps its time to slow down a bit.

I think in the media and political environment were in where everything is driven by impatience and speed thats going to not be possible said Woodward. But theyre going to have to get some answers.

Woodward said that the first issue in the matter is common sense for people like Clinton or for former CIA Director David Petraeus who faced legal charges and ended up being fined $100000 and ordered to be put on probation for sharing classified information with his then-mistress.

In the world where Petraeus was dealing either as a general or CIA director or Clinton was dealing as head of the State Department almost everything is classified one way or another said Woodward. And you have to have some systems to protect it and you have to use common sense.

How does this work? Easier to describe the creation of the universe. It is there are literally everyone when I was a lieutenant in the United States Navy in the 60s I had classification authority. I could say Oh yes this is top secret. So almost anyone can do it but theres got to be a common sense approach here ... and the idea of the server and this excuse Oh it was all for convenience isnt going to work.