Why the corrupt Obama Department of Injustice exonerated Hillary Clinton

The following federal criminal statute (in courier font) has been bandied about on the internet recently. However, most laypersons (and even many lawyers) have difficulty understanding it. That's because they read it horizontally. Earlier today I showed one of my blogees (ES) a better way to read it (and any statute).

Here's the actual, normal horizontal, text of 18 United States Code, Section 2071:

(a) Whoever willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, or destroys, or attempts to do so, or, with intent to do so takes and carries away any record, proceeding, map, book, paper, document, or other thing, filed or deposited with any clerk or officer of any court of the United States, or in any public office, or with any judicial or public officer of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

(b) Whoever, having the custody of any such record, proceeding, map, book, document, paper, or other thing, willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies, or destroys the same, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both; and shall forfeit his office and be disqualified from holding any office under the United States. As used in this subsection, the term “office” does not include the office held by any person as a retired officer of the Armed Forces of the United States.

 

Now read the essential elements of 18 USC Section 2071 not horizontally (which is what most people do), but instead vertically: 

“(a) Whoever

willfully and unlawfully

conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates,

or destroys,

or attempts to do so,

or, with intent to do so

takes and carries away any record, proceeding, map, book, paper, document, or other thing,

filed or deposited with any clerk or officer of any court of the United States, or in any public office, or with any judicial or public officer of the United States,

shall be fined under this title

or imprisoned not more than three years,

or both.

(b) Whoever,

having the custody of any such record, proceeding, map, book, document, paper, or other thing,

willfully and unlawfully

conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies,

or destroys the same,

shall be fined under this title

or imprisoned not more than three years,

or both; and

shall forfeit his office and be disqualified from holding any office under the United States.