Clinton Email Probe Finally Ends, Revealing No Deliberate Mishandling of Classified Info
A State Department investigation into emails sent to Hillary Clinton’s private computer server while she was secretary of state found “no persuasive evidence of systemic, deliberate mishandling of classified information,” according to a report submitted to Congress earlier this month.
After reviewing some 33,000 emails, investigators determined that there were 38 current or former employees who were “culpable” of violating security procedures, but none involved classified material. The report concluded “that the use of a private email system to conduct official business added an increased degree of risk of compromise as a private system lacks the network motoring and intrusion detection capabilities of state department networks.” It is unclear whether the current officials in question will face disciplinary action.
The probe, launched in 2016, focused on internal communications up to nine years old. Dozens of former employees were questioned in recent months after a lull in the investigation, leading some to question whether the revival was purely political in nature.
One former official questioned called the ordeal “a way to tarnish a whole bunch of Democratic foreign policy people.”
The report’s contents have long been an obsession for President Trump, his media allies and some Republicans in Congress, despite concerns over potential security lapses by senior officials in his own administration. As recently as Thursday, the president posted a tweet about the investigation:
“What has happened here with the Anthony Wiener laptop, the Server, all of the Emails between Huma Abedin and Hillary Clinton, the deleted Clinton Emails – what is going on?” @LouDobbs Joe D & Victoria T!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17, 2019
Clinton, for her part, has frequently mocked Republicans’ fanatical focus on the issue.
