“The truth is, she was using [the private email server] for a year before I sent her a memo telling her what I did”, he told People magazine.
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A federal judge ruled Friday that Hillary Clinton must answer written questions from a conservative legal group about her use of a private email server as secretary of State.
As her use of a private email server has continued to hang over her presidential campaign, Clinton has pointed to Powell as a means of defending her own decisions. Powell told Clinton using personal email “vastly improved” communication with his department, he said in a release Thursday.
The Office declared that Powell doesn’t remember having this conversation with Clinton, while she claims they had the conversation while attending a dinner party hosted by Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State. The practice has come under intense scrutiny during Clinton’s presidential campaign, resulting in the Federal Bureau of Investigation last month recommending no criminal charges for the Democratic nominee. His suggestions did not include directions to install a private server, such as the one Clinton used at her Chappaqua, N.Y., home, either.
A 2009 email exchange that emerged during the F.B.I.’s investigation of Clinton’s email use found that Powell urged Clinton to use a personal email account for unclassified messages. She is married to Bill Clinton, former US President.
The State Department said Monday it is reviewing almost 15,000 previously undisclosed emails recovered as part of the FBI’s now-closed investigation into the handling of sensitive information that flowed through Hillary Clinton’s private home server.
When asked why Clinton’s team was attempting to blame him, Powell reportedly said, “Why do you think?”
Mrs Clinton, who served as the country’s top diplomat from 2009 to 2013, has apologised for her decision to use the unorthodox email set-up, which had the effect of shielding her communications from public-records laws until the arrangement came to light past year.
The Democratic presidential candidate has 30 days to respond to Judicial Watch’s questions over her use of an unauthorized server while she was the top USA diplomat, the ruling reads.
In a 2009 email, a top foundation official lobbied Clinton aides to employ an associate at the State Department.
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She handed over 30,000 of the emails to her former department, but deleted another 30,000 which she said were “personal”.
