This is a tale about “the most transparent administration in history.” We thank President Obama for that description, for we were momentarily at a loss about how to describe the executive branch during his tenure.

On Friday, the most transparent administration in history’s State Department released a batch of emails from Hillary Clinton’s time as secretary of state. More interesting than what they contained — it was the usual batch of previously denied classified material — was that they landed on sleepy reporters’ desks at 1 o’clock in the morning.