In addition to Pagliano, the Committee also called issued subpoenas to others believed to be involved in the managing of Clinton’s private server, including Paul Combetta and Bill Thornton of Platte River Networks.
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House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffez, R-Utah, said former Clinton Foundation technology aide Bryan Pagliano would face punishment for failing to appear at a hearing Tuesday after the Republican-led panel issued him a subpoena.
This is not the first time that Pagliano was called before Congress to answer questions which he did not attend.
“The fact that the individuals who maintained Hillary Clinton’s secret email server pleaded the Fifth shows once again why she can’t be trusted in the White House”, spokesman Jason Miller said in a statement.
One witness, Justin Cooper, a former White House aide to President Bill Clinton, was the lone witness and answered the committee’s questions for almost two hours.
Chaffetz has sought all of the records related to the FBI’s Clinton email investigation, including all interview notes, which are referred to as 302s. Cooper said there was “a desire to change her email address because a number of people had received her email address over the course of those activities”.
“As far as I can tell, the only “emergency” is that the election is less than two months away”, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said. “We can’t prosecute anyone, only the Department of Justice can and they’ve made it, frankly, crystal clear they’re not prosecuting anyone in this fact pattern, so where’s the criminal liability?”
Pagliano installed the main server that Clinton set up in her suburban NY home while she was secretary of state, and he handled software upgrades and general maintenance, according to recently released files from the FBI’s investigation, which recommended no charges against Clinton or her aides. Combetta was reportedly granted immunity by the Department of Justice during its investigation of Clinton’s mishandling of classified emails while at State.
“I can’t speak to that”, Cooper replied.
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A powerful Republican lawmaker abruptly stopped a hearing Monday on Capitol Hill to serve a subpoena demanding the FBI’s full investigative file on the Hillary Clinton email probe to a top official, telling the man “you are hereby served”. To take effect, a contempt resolution must be approved by the committee and the full House, after which the matter would move to the USA attorney for the District of Columbia.
