Hillary Clinton once abruptly fired a hardworking, middle class member of the White House staff who earned less in a year than she earns in 10 minutes of speaking at a public university.
According to a new book based on interviews with current and former White House staffers, former usher Chris Emery lost his job—and his $50,000 annual salary—during the Clinton administration because the First Lady was "not comfortable with him."
Emery recalled that in the 14 months before his firing, he was subjected to a series of drugs tests and an unscheduled background check, which included what he described as invasive questions about, for example, his church attendance.
Hillary’s spokesman said Emery was fired for communicating with former First Lady Barbara Bush, who was in the process of writing a memoir. Clinton suspected Emery, who was publicly shamed for his "amazing lack of discretion," had been passing secrets to the Bushes, something he denies. Clinton reportedly learned of the communications by monitoring Emery’s call logs. Even after he was fired, Emery said, members of Clinton’s staff insisted that he forward all press inquiries to the White House.
Although Emery claimed to have never received an adequate explanation for his firing, one of his former colleagues said the Clintons were right to be suspicious of Emery, who was a "Republican from the top of his head to the tips of his toes," and very close to his former bosses, the Bushes.
Emery said he was out of work for a year after losing his job at the White House. "They ripped the rug right out from under me," he said. "You wonder what they’d do to someone who’s really powerful."