After being pressured for months to turn over her private email server to members of Congress, Hillary Clinton finally agreed to hand over to federal authorities the server and a thumb drive containing several emails sent and received during her tenure as United States Secretary of State. Her decision to turn over the server came on the same day that the United States Intelligence Community Inspector General told congressional committees that a minimum of five emails previously turned over by Clinton contained classified information. For Clinton, the move indicates that her presidential campaign sees an increasing risk regarding her use of a private email server, which has raised questions across the country regarding her trustworthiness. In fact, according to polls, more Americans say Clinton is not trustworthy rather than trustworthy.
Republicans called for Clinton to turn over her private server months ago. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley said in a statement that, “[He] appreciate[s] the Intelligence Community Inspector General providing more information in response to the questions that many members of Congress and the public have regarding the classified emails that were on [Clinton’s] private server and on a thumb drive with her private attorney. This information revealed by the inspector general makes it even more important that the FBI and the State Department secure these documents. To date, the two agencies most critical to securing this information have failed to assure the American people that they are taking the necessary steps to protect America’s national security interests.”
Up to this point, Clinton simply refused demands from members of Congress to turn over the server to a third party with her attorney stating that, “there is no basis to support the proposed third-party review of the server.” Clinton further defended her use of a private server, claiming that she used it as a matter of convenience to reduce the number of electronic devices she had to carry around. Republicans pounced on this, with Republican Trey Gowdy claiming that, “Secretary Clinton said she created this unusual email arrangement with herself for ‘convenience.’ It may have been convenient for her, but it has been troubling at multiple levels for the rest of the country. Secretary Clinton’s decision to prioritize her own convenience – and desire for control – over the security of our country’s intelligence should concern all people of good conscience.”
Earlier this week, Clinton stated in a sworn statement under oath that she has turned over to the State Department all communications from her private server “that were or potentially were federal records.” The statement, signed by Clinton, was signed under penalty of perjury. Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill told CNN on Tuesday evening that, “[Clinton] pledged to cooperate with the government’s security inquiry, and if there are more questions, we will continue to address them.”
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