Hillary Clinton's social media game is known for being pretty sharp and she had the perfect response to the news that former White House strategist Steve Bannon had been arrested.
The former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic nominee needed just five words to troll Bannon after he was charged with contempt of Congess for refusing to cooperate with a House investigation into the January 6 insurrection.
Responding to a Twitter user who noted that Clinton has never been arrested for anything and who wished her "a great weekend," Clinton responded:
"Thanks, it was quite restful."
Thanks, it was quite restful. https://t.co/COcH6UQauz
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 15, 2021
Bannon surrendered to federal authorities on Monday, November 15, making a brief appearance in federal magistrate court. He is expected to return to court and be arraigned tomorrow.
Bannon was charged last week for failing to appear for a deposition with the House Select Committee tasked with investigating the January 6 insurrection and for failing to produce documents in response to its subpoena.
Although he briefly served as the White House's chief strategist under former President Donald Trump, leaving the position after Trump disavowed him for comments reported in the book Fire and Fury, he remained a critical member of Trump's inner circle.
The House Select Committee believes Bannon has useful information crucial to the investigation, in particular relating to his involvement in a meeting with Trump allies at a Washington hotel the evening before the attack.
If convicted, Bannon could serve up to one year in jail for each count.
Given that Clinton has been a regular target of Bannon, Trump, and other members of the Trump administration, many found her response hilarious and reaffirmed their support.
Queen. https://t.co/crwdXbKewy
— Abs0lute_Zer0 (Neptune's Child) (@A8s0lute_Zer0) November 16, 2021
911: 911 what is your emergency?
Me: I like to report a murder
☠️🪦😂🤣😂 https://t.co/4OdX9bxVT2
— 𝙾𝚕𝚍 𝙼𝚊𝚗 𝙶𝚊𝚛𝚢 (@ondma) November 16, 2021
I'd vote for her, again. https://t.co/l2ethbmMF4
— a2tudemi Blocking Stupid 1 Twit@A Time (@a2tudemi) November 16, 2021
Never underestimate pantsuit wit.
Number of times Secretary Clinton…
….refused to cooperate with a congressional investigation: 0
….had to turn herself in to the FBI: 0 #StrongerTogether #LockHimUp https://t.co/x8SXbaqtGK
— Marion Sills, MD, MPH (@MarionRSills) November 16, 2021
Awesome! ❤️😂 https://t.co/2TzDFyspnj
— Irene Rettenmaier🐞 (@Ladybug_Effect) November 16, 2021
The SAVAGERY! https://t.co/oIVBVnh6Zh
— Alex Mohajer (@AlexMohajer) November 16, 2021
Hillary was right about everything! Still is. Proud of you @HillaryClinton https://t.co/eGQFnaEvOz
— Not On My Watch (@7777Justice) November 16, 2021
Here's to 2022 and more rest. At home. While others… https://t.co/zXMoCCtw9n
— Cinema Sam Park (@SamPark40354229) November 16, 2021
Love this SO MUCH!! #StillWithHer https://t.co/KqS4MsJ37e
— BPPersistsWhileStandingWithPelosi (@BJPsez) November 16, 2021
Clinton has often faced calls to "lock her up" since the 2016 general election.
In July 2016, Trump, then a presidential candidate, invited Russia to hack Hillary Clinton's emails, asking the Kremlin to find "the 30,000 emails that are missing" from the personal server she used during her tenure as Secretary of State.
At the time, Trump declared:
"I will tell you this, Russia: If you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press."
Trump's remarks shocked the Clinton campaign–to say nothing of the world–and many perceived them as a potential threat to national security. Trump, as he does with most criticism, shrugged off these concerns. He made the request of the Russians on July 27, 2016.
And on that same day, according to an indictment that the Justice Department released in July 2018, the Russians took Trump up on his offer.
The indictment details that "on or about July 27, 2016, the Conspirators attempted after hours to spearphish for the first time email accounts at a domain hosted by a third-party provider and used by Clinton's personal office."
The news prompted political commentators and members of the media to call out their colleagues for spending so much time focusing on the stories about Clinton's emails rather than the specter of Russian collusion that lingered over the country even before the 2016 presidential election was in full swing.