“The aggressive posture of the FBI under Director James Comey is becoming a political problem for the White House,” Cory Bennett and Julian Hattem report for The Hill.
“The FBI’s demand that Apple help unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino killers has outraged Silicon Valley, a significant source of political support for President Obama and Democrats,” Bennett and Hattem report. “Then there’s the biggest issue of all: the FBI’s investigation into the private email server used by Hillary Clinton, Obama’s former secretary of State and the leading contender to win the Democratic presidential nomination. A decision by the FBI to charge Clinton or her top aides for mishandling classified information would be a shock to the political system.”
“In these cases and more, Comey — a Republican who donated in 2012 to Mitt Romney — has proved he is ‘not attached to the strings of the White House,’ said Ron Hosko, the former head of the FBI’s criminal investigative division and a critic of Obama’s law enforcement strategies,” Bennett and Hattem report. “While the White House has repeatedly backed the FBI’s decision [to seek a court order demanding that Apple create new software to bypass security tools on an iPhone], it has not fully endorsed the potential policy ramifications, leaving some to think a gap might develop as similar cases pop up. The White House is poised to soon issue its own policy paper on the subject of data encryption.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Ah, the friction-filled ramifications of a lack of leadership.
SEE ALSO:
Black Lives Matter activists say U.S government fight to break iPhone encryption threatens civil liberties – March 9, 2016
Hillary Clinton: Apple vs. FBI dispute is ‘worst dilemma ever’ – March 8, 2016
How Apple’s clarion call united the entire tech industry against U.S. government overreach – March 8, 2016
Apple CEO Cook decried Obama’s ‘lack of leadership’ on encryption during a closed-door meeting last month – February 29, 2016
Obama administration set to expand sharing of data that N.S.A. intercepts – February 28, 2016
Apple’s fight with U.S. could speed development of devices impervious to government intrusion – February 24, 2016
Petition asks Obama administration to stop demanding Apple create iPhone backdoor – February 19, 2016
Obama administration claims FBI is not asking Apple for a ‘backdoor’ to the iPhone – February 18, 2016
Obama administration wants access to smartphones – December 15, 2015
Obama administration war against Apple just got uglier – July 31, 2015
Obama’s secret attempt to ban cellphone unlocking, while claiming to support it – November 19, 2013