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The mother of a U.S. Navy service member who will serve prison time for mishandling classified information is calling out a "double standard" in her son's case compared to the Hillary Clinton email investigation.
Kathleen Saucier sat down with Ainsley Earhardt this morning as her son, Kristian Saucier, gets set to begin a one-year sentence for taking photos of classified parts of a nuclear submarine, the USS Alexandria, in 2009.
Saucier took particular issue with an exchange during Tuesday's VP debate in which Gov. Mike Pence argued that if a military member handled classified info the way Clinton did they would face "court-martial."
Sen. Tim Kaine fired back, in defense of Clinton, that Pence's statement was "absolutely false," citing the FBI's decision not to pursue charges.
Saucier said she's "grateful" that Pence brought up the subject, noting that the photos in her son's case were classified at a lower level than some materials found in Clinton's emails.
"I feel strongly that [Pence] was trying to be silenced by both Senator Kaine and the moderator that basically asked them to go on to something else," she said.
After his sentence, Saucier will serve six months of home confinement with monitoring followed by three years of federal probation.
Ms. Saucier said her son has accepted responsibility for what he did, acknowledging that speaking out will not change her son's situation. But she added that Americans should consider whether a "double standard" is at play.
"We as Americans, as patriots of the United States of America, need to stand up against this double standard. Whether it’s Hillary Clinton or other people in this administration. It needs to stop because our rights will continue to be taken away. That’s why I’m speaking out," she said, asking for prayers for her son.