She told investigators that “everyone at State knew she had a private email address because it was displayed to anyone with whom she exchanged emails”, according to a summary of the July 2 interview released Friday. “I think this record actually documents really kind of the disgraceful decision not to go after her”, Farrell said during an interview with the FOX Business Network’s The Intelligence Report. In addition, the classification determination process administered by the US Department of State (State) in connection with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation identified approximately 2,000 additional emails now classified CONFIDENTIAL and 1 email now classified SECRET, which FBI investigation determined were transmitted and stored on at least two of Clinton’s personal server systems. She indicated that she believed her records were being preserved when she emailed other State Department officials at their government addresses.
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Mrs Clinton told the Federal Bureau of Investigation she did not recall all the briefings she received on handling sensitive information due to a concussion she suffered in 2012, according to the transcript. When asked if she knew what the “C” meant next to a paragraph in an email marked “Confidential”, they wrote, “she did not know and could only speculate it was referencing paragraphs in alphabetical order”. Under the FBI’s long-standing policy, agents do not make audio or video recordings of their interviews.
Either way, Clinton said she regarded the content of the email as a “condolence call” and questioned the classification level.
Clinton has been dogged by questions about her use of the private email server, and her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, has used the issue to argue that she is untrustworthy.
The FBI released the summary to provide context on its recommendation that the Justice Department shouldn’t prosecute Mrs Clinton or her aides for using the private system.
Brian Fallon, a spokesman for Clinton’s campaign, said the campaign is “pleased” the notes were released.
The investigation found that a memo had been sent to State employees on Clinton’s behalf which “recommended employees avoid conducting State business from personal email accounts due to information security concerns”. But they offer fresh details that Clinton’s political opponents will be able to use in the months leading up to the November election.
Clinton has repeatedly said that she thought she was preserving her work records by emailing her colleagues on their work emails, which she assumed would be captured by government retention procedures.
The documents include technical details about how the server in the basement of Clinton’s home was set up. Only time will tell if the newly released notes will bring voters more clarity.
Clinton had said that she consulted with former secretary of state Colin Powell about using a private account.
“Either way it’s clear that, through her own actions, she has disqualified herself from the presidency”, he added.
Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton at the CNN Democratic Debate at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, Tuesday, October 13, 2015. And she did little to keep her account a secret.
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Some revelations came from the 47-page report summarizing the investigation’s findings, also released Friday. Much of that interview appeared to be focused on the classified e-mails that were found on her private server. FBI Director James Comey said that while Clinton and her aides had been “extremely careless,” there was no evidence they intentionally mishandled classified information. She said she never had any conversations about using the email server as a way to get around her legal obligations under FOIA or the Federal Records Act, which imposes requirements for maintaining government documents.
