Clinton’s ‘email-gate’ scandal gets murkier

Revelations that Hillary Clinton used a personal server to send and receive emails during her tenure as Secretary of State has sparked an outcry as she gears for a return to the White House. Legalbrief reports that the former First Lady violated a federal law that requires government employees to have their official correspondence retained for public records. A State Department investigation found that Clinton did not have a government email address during her four years in the Cabinet and that her aides never attempted to have her personal emails preserved. The Associated Press has now confirmed that it has sued the State Department to force the release of government documents and emails from Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State. USA TODAY reports that Clinton defended her use of a private email account, saying it was done for convenience. Using a personal account was permissible during her tenure as long as she kept the records, and she said she did not discuss classified information on her personal email, the report states. ‘Looking back, it would have been better for me to use two separate phones and two separate email accounts,’ Clinton is quoted in the report as saying. ‘I thought using one (mobile) device would be simpler. Obviously, it hasn't worked out that way.’ Clinton sent or received a total of 62 320 emails while heading the State Department, and deleted 31 830 that she deemed personal. She turned over 30 490 emails to the State Department last year at its request. CNN reports that unfavourable views of Clinton are growing and perceptions of her as ‘honest and trustworthy’ have dropped following the revelation. Overall, notes the report, 51% in the poll call Clinton’s use of a personal email system rather than a government one a very or somewhat serious problem, 48% say it’s not too serious an issue or no problem at all. And the public is similarly split over whether Clinton did something wrong by using the personal system; 51% say she did, 47% that she did not.

Full USA TODAY report

Full CNN report