Hillary Clinton denies any “scandal” related to her email practice as secretary of state, but former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy makes a critical observation regarding federal law — implemented by her formal boss, no less — that proves she had to have willfully exchanged classified information through her private server. McCarthy explains:

“[Hillary Clinton] is trying to exploit the public’s unfamiliarity with the distinction between classified documents and classified information — the former are obviously classified because they are marked as such; the latter, because of its nature, is well known to national security officials to be classified — regardless of whether it is marked as such or even written down at all. … In the first year of his administration (December 29, 2009, to be exact), President Obama issued Executive Order 13526, entitled ‘Classified National Security Information.’ … [T]he order makes clear that there is one category of information that is automatically deemed classified: information from foreign governments. … As Secretary of State, Clinton not only knew this elementary rule; it was her duty to ensure that the rule was followed throughout her department. … [T]he emails Clinton sent, received and stored via her private server system were rife with information from foreign governments. This information was born classified. It makes no difference that these emails were not stamped ‘top secret’; all national security officials with security clearances know that foreign government information is deemed classified and must be handled as such. Period. Indeed, since it is the State Department that deals most directly with foreign governments, the Secretary of State has the highest obligation and interest when it comes to assuring them that the information they share with the U.S. government is being handled with appropriate care.”

Bottom line: When Clinton says she didn’t exchange classified information, she’s lying.