Edward Klein is the author of the No. 1 New York Times best-sellers “Blood Feud” and “The Amateur” about the Clintons and the Obamas. He has also written numerous other best-sellers, including “All Too Human: The Love Story of Jack and Jackie Kennedy,” “The Kennedy Curse” and “The Truth about Hillary.” He is the former editor in chief of the New York Times Magazine and a contributing editor to Vanity Fair. His latest book, “Unlikeable: The Problem With Hillary,” was released in September.
Q. In view of all you have written and know about the Clintons, if Hillary Clinton were to be elected the 45th president of the United States, what would be your greatest fear as an American citizen?
A. As first lady, senator and secretary of state, Hillary Clinton has proved that she has no vision for where she wants to take this country. A leader with no vision is like a blind man in a china shop; she is sure to cause serious breakage.
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
Q. In “Unlikeable” you discuss Bill Clinton’s future role if Hillary were to become president, writing: “Or he might lay claim to Hillary’s old office on the second floor of the West Wing and renew the Clintons’ warped version of their contract with America: ‘two for the price of one.’”
With that in mind, back in May, I wrote about my conversation with a well-respected Democratic insider who said that a “co-presidency” was already accepted as gospel among his fellow power-brokers.
Do you think that voters just accept, as an unspoken premise, that if Hillary is elected, Bill will be the co-president? Or should this become a 2016 campaign issue?
A. Many of Hillary Clinton’s supporters have a nostalgic view of Bill Clinton’s presidency, conveniently forgetting how his time in office was stained by multiple scandals. These people are hoping to get two for the price of one if Hillary is elected president. They are more likely to get another Clintonian train wreck.
Q. Speaking of a co-president, Valerie Jarrett, who holds the title senior adviser to President Obama, comes to mind. About Jarrett, in “Unlikeable” you wrote: “Hillary’s biggest beef was with Valerie Jarrett” and how Jarrett was “the real power behind the presidential throne.”
Most people outside of Washington, D.C., have never heard of Valerie Jarrett. Do you believe that her extraordinary power and influence is the untold story of the Obama presidency and the extent of her power will come to light once he leaves office?
A. Valerie Jarrett is the most powerful presidential adviser in recent American history. Her role as senior adviser and best friend to both Barack Obama and Michelle Obama makes Jarrett the “indispensable” figure in the Obama administration. The president does not make a move domestically or in foreign affairs without first consulting Jarrett. She will go down in history as the power behind the Obama throne.
Q. Even with the adversarial relationship between the Clintons and the Obamas you wrote about in your book “Blood Feud,” do you believe that if the FBI recommends that Hillary Clinton be indicted for her handling of classified material, Obama will instruct his Justice Department to reject that recommendation?
Do you think that such a rejection would cause FBI Director James Comey to resign in protest?
A. Director James Comey is a fearless civil servant who has proved time and time again that he is immune to political influence. If Comey believes that politics has trumped justice in the Hillary Clinton email scandal, he will speak out forcefully in public and most likely resign in protest.
Q. It appears that the potential for Hillary to be indicted by the Obama administration reads like the unwritten chapter of “Blood Feud.” Can you tell my readers how you see this scenario playing out? For example, do you think Bill Clinton will call Obama and ask him not to indict Hillary?
What do you predict will be the political fallout on her presidential campaign if Hillary Clinton is not indicted? Would such a decision rally the anti-Hillary forces and infuriate Americans who understand the laws involving the handling of classified information?
A. There is no love lost between the Obamas and the Clintons, and from a purely personal point of view, Barack Obama would like to see Hillary Clinton indicted for jeopardizing national security and see Vice President Joe Biden ride in on a white horse to save the Democratic Party. However, Obama is also aware that an indictment of Hillary Clinton would convulse the political system and overshadow and taint the remaining months of his presidency. Therefore, Obama is ambivalent about the investigation of Hillary’s use of a private email system to receive and send classified material. In the end, I predict that the president will have no choice but to let the legal process take its course.
Cross-posted at WND
