A federal judge on Tuesday declared that top aides to former Secretary of State Hillary ClintonHillary Rodham ClintonJudge opens door to new stage for Clinton email case Sanders shuts down supporters who boo Clinton Sanders praises Gitmo plan, sneaks in shot at Clinton MORE should be questioned about their role in Clinton’s “homebrew” email setup, and the potential that federal open records laws were skirted.
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Tapper was quick to point out that Judge Emmett Sullivan, who sits on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, was appointed by Clinton’s own husband, Bill Clinton.
The ruling is likely to add to the uncertainty hovering over Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination for the November U.S. presidential election, about the legal consequences of her decision to exclusively use a private email server in her NY home for her government work.
Among the people Judicial Watch’s lawyers said they would be seeking to depose are several State Department employees, including under secretary for management Patrick F. Kennedy, director of IPS John F. Hackett, and executive secretary Joseph E. Macmanus; and several former employees or post-State staffers – including Abedin; Cheryl Mills; and Bryan Pagliano, a longtime IT staffer for Clinton.
The State Department said it was reviewing the order but could not comment further on ongoing litigation. In their discovery request, which was granted today, Judicial Watch noted that finding out “whether additional, responsive emails exist and to identify where they may be located … may require subpoenaing of archived copies … of Mrs. Clinton’s and Ms. [Huma] Abedin’s emails”.
Sullivan said he was pleased with the State Department’s compliance on these steps, but said questions remain as to why the private system was set up in the first place, and whether it was, as Judicial Watch asserts, an attempt to thwart the FOIA process. She said she broke no rules.
The judge did not rule out a subpoena for Clinton and top aide Huma Abedin.
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The Obama administration could appeal against Sullivan’s ruling, which arose out of a court challenge by a conservative legal watchdog, Judicial Watch. Republican opponents have not held back, with several urging that Clinton be prosecuted for mishandling government secrets.
