Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has weighed in on the controversy surrounding her exclusive use of a private e-mail system while serving as the nation’s top diplomat, saying via social media that she wants the public to see the communications.
“I want the public to see my email. I asked State to release them. They said they will review them for release as soon as possible,” Mrs. Clinton tweeted late Wednesday.
The Associated Press reported that the computer server that transmitted and received the emails was traced to an Internet service registered to her Chappaqua, New York, home, and it was unclear who set up the private server. The New York Times first reported Monday about her use of a personal email address, which could violate federal record-retention requirements.
The House Select Committee tasked with investigating the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack on a U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, that claimed the lives of four Americans is subpoenaing the emails for correspondence related to the attack.
A spokesman for the committee said Thursday that Mrs. Clinton “has left herself in the unique position of being the only one to determine what records the American people are entitled to.”
“This has significant negative implications for transparency and government oversight, as well as for media and others who have a legitimate interest in understanding the secretary’s time in office,” spokesman Jamal Ware said. “The former secretary’s tweet does not answer questions about why this was not done when she left office, the integrity of the emails while she controlled them, the scheme to conceal them, or the failure to provide them in logical course.”
Mr. Ware added that Rep. Trey Gowdy, South Carolina Republican and chairman of the committee, has said Mrs. Clinton is welcome to and should release all her emails, “but legitimate investigations do not consider partial records. And that is the point of the subpoena issued yesterday by the Benghazi Committee.”
A spokesman for the Republican National Committee replied to Mrs. Clinton’s tweet by saying, “Hillary Clinton must think we’re all suckers.”
“The fact Hillary Clinton set up a ’homebrewed’ email system in her house to skirt federal record-keeping regulations is a pretty good indicator of just how transparent she’s interested in being,” said RNC spokesman Michael Short. “Rather than sending midnight tweets to avoid accountability, Hillary Clinton should be answering questions and allow an independent review of all of her emails, not just the one’s she’s handpicked for release.”
• Dave Boyer contributed to this report.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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