While admitting Clinton was “extremely careless” in handling sensitive State Department material, FBI Director James Comey said last month she would not face criminal charges.
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The US Department of Justice concluded last month there were no grounds to prosecute her for the arrangement following a year-long investigation. “He used a secure State computer on his desk to manage classified information”. Mr. Powell did not have a server at his house or rely on outside contractors, as Mrs. Clinton did at her home in Chappaqua, N.Y.
On the campaign trail, Mrs Clinton’s rival Donald Trump again made a direct appeal to black voters, urging them to abandon the Democratic Party and give him a chance. Powell was in attendance, along with other former secretaries including Henry Kissinger and Condoleezza Rice.
The journalist Joe Conason first reported the conversation between Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Powell in his coming book about Bill Clinton’s postpresidency, “Man of the World: The Further Endeavors of Bill Clinton”, which The Times received an advanced copy of. Powell reportedly told Clinton that his use of personal email to communicate with his staff had been “transformative for the department”.
The Times notes that Clinton has not tried publicly claiming that Powell told her to use private email.
Bentel has declined several requests through his lawyer to comment, but he will now be compelled to testify in person and under oath.
In his statement, Powell said he has “no recollection” of his purported dinner conversation.
To the list of victims, common folks, and politicians left in the wake of that runaway bus of crime and corruption known as Clinton, add one more – former Secretary of State Colin Powell. Leaks emerging from the Congressional acquisition of the heavily redacted Federal Bureau of Investigation interview with Hillary Clinton that took place in July, indicate that part of the discussion with Democrat nominee centered on Clinton’s claim that she set up her private email server on the recommendation of Powell.
Clinton’s campaign dismissed the group’s efforts as a political ploy. Clinton used an unsecured email server for all messages, classified or not, exposing national security secrets to any hacker who would care to look.
“Given the extensive public record related to the clintonemail.com system, a record which Judicial Watch has acknowledged, Judicial Watch will be able to anticipate many follow-up questions”.
Sullivan split the difference between positions taken at a July hearing. “At the time, there was no equivalent system within the Department”.
Clinton must instead respond in writing within 30 days to questions submitted by Judicial Watch, a group that has always been critical of her conduct and which is suing the State Department over Clinton-era records.
“The Court is persuaded that Secretary Clinton’s testimony is necessary to enable her to explain on the record the goal for the creation and operation of the clintonemail.com system for State Department business”, Sullivan wrote in his opinion.
“We believe it is a victory for law and order to get Hillary Clinton under oath answering questions about the server setup and why she did it”, Farrell told Fox News.
That means Judicial Watch won’t have the opportunity ask follow-up questions.
Sullivan’s order says Judicial Watch must submit its queries to Clinton by October 14, and she must respond within 30 days.
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Sullivan also ruled that Judicial Watch could depose John Bentel, a now-retired official who during Hillary Clinton’s tenure headed a State Department information technology unit.
