Double Standard? Nah.

It was the decision of (Republican) FBI Director James Comey that no reasonable prosecutor would bring any criminal charge against Hillary Clinton -- the key word there being "reasonable"; Giuliani would do it in a heartbeat.

It was the decision of the FBI, after investigation, that David Petraeus should be charged with two serious criminal offenses, conviction on either of which could lead to years of imprisonment. Ultimately, though, he wasn't; it was pleaded down. Petraeus got two years' probation and a $100,000 fine.

I'm not sure that disqualifies Petraeus forever from holding office for which he is qualified and could be of value to the nation; others may feel differently. Can you interview for the position of Secretary of State if you have to check with your parole officer? But the point is that the differences between Clinton and Petraeus relating to national security are stark, and Petraeus's actions were much more serious.

Not according to Trump's top henchman, Pence. Here's a video clip of Pence being interviewed by NBC's Chuck Todd on Meet the Press:




John Amato at Crooks & Liars, in an article entitled "Dear Mike Pence, Gen. Petraeus Didn't Just 'Mishandle' Classified Information," provides a transcript of a portion of the video:

Chuck Todd asked, "Given how high profile the email situation was and the classified issue was for Secretary Clinton during the presidential campaign, how significant is the conviction against General Petraeus in your thinking and the president-elect's thinking when it comes to Secretary of State?"

Gov. Pence first told Todd that Gen. Petraeus is an American hero, "and he paid a price."

Chuck replied, "Did he deserve to pay a price?"

Pence said, "Oh, he paid a price for mishandling classified information."

Chuck asked, "But you don't think that disqualifies him to be Secretary of State?

Pence then said, "Well, I think that will be up to the president-elect."

What? Wait: "mishandling classified information"? No, sorry, Mike. Clinton's actions could be characterized as "mishandling classified information"; what Petraeus did was criminal (pleaded down to a misdemeanor). He was forced to resign as Director of the CIA. He provided classified information to his mistress, and lied about it to the FBI. Clinton didn't pass classified information to anyone, nor did she lie to the FBI about what she had done.

Amato says:

The deal angered FBI agents who worked on the lengthy investigation and who thought Petraeus should have been treated more harshly because of the information in the notebooks and what they considered his lack of candor.

Whether his offenses disqualify Petraeus for consideration as Secretary of State is one thing -- and let the arguments begin. But don't whitewash what he did -- particularly if you're one of the despicable crew who led the rabble in chanting "Lock her up."