Clinton told FBI investigators that Powell recommended to her that she use a private email account.
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On Friday, the New York Times reported that Clinton told Federal Bureau of Investigation officials former Secretary of State Colin Powell had advised her to use a personal email account while she held the Secretary of State office herself.
Powell, through a spokesman, said he doesn’t remember the dinner party conversation, but added he did use a private email account for unclassified communications with other department employees because no official system existed for such messages when he had the job.
Hillary Clinton has admitted that using a private email server while she was USA secretary of state was a mistake. We only learned this week that Powell suggested using private email because that’s what she told FBI investigators during an interview in July.
This comes after a federal judge on Friday ordered Clinton to answer questions from Judicial Watch in writing regarding her use of private email servers.
U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton delivers remarks at a gathering of law enforcement leaders at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in NY, U.S., August 18, 2016.
Powell’s precedent, such as it is, is no justification for Clinton’s actions with regard to her own private server.
Asked Sunday why he thought Clinton continued to compare her choices to his, Powell replied, “Why do you think?” Regardless, according to Conason, Hillary had already chose to use private email before Powell’s alleged comment, the dinner party chat only confirming her decision, or more likely tucked away as a useful excuse for wrongdoing should she need it later, as indeed she did.
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday night that he has no recollection of a dinner conversation in which he allegedly advised Hillary Clinton to use private email for transmitting non-sensitive information.
According to a scathing report by the State Department’s inspector general, Bentel, then a technology official in Clinton’s office, told junior staffers to never speak of Clinton’s email server again after they raised concerns. Powell merely used a commercial email account. “He used a secure State computer on his desk to manage classified information”, the statement continued.
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“This is just another lawsuit meant to try to hurt Hillary Clinton’s campaign, and so we are glad that the judge has accepted our offer to answer these questions in writing rather than grant Judicial Watch’s request”, Fallon said. Clinton reportedly claims that her forebear encouraged her on two separate occasions to use her personal e-mail account.
