The FBI has released documents relating to
its investigation of the private email server used by Hillary Clinton during
her time as secretary of state, including notes of its interview with her.
The information was given to Congress last
month and made public on Friday afternoon, ahead of the holiday long weekend.
The documents were released in response to Freedom of Information Act requests
from a slew of media organizations.“Today the FBI is releasing a summary of
former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s July 2, 2016 interview with the FBI
concerning allegations that classified information was improperly stored or
transmitted on a personal e-mail server she used during her tenure,” the bureau
said in a statement. “We also are releasing a factual summary of the FBI’s investigation
into this matter.”
“This report recounts the information
collected in this investigation,” the FBI said in the first of two documents.
“It is not intended to address potential inconsistencies in, or the validity
of, the information related herein.”
That 47-page document is a summary of the
investigation, which began in July 2015, at the request of the US Intelligence
Community Inspector General. The second is an 11-page summary of the FBI’s
interview with Clinton at the beginning of July.
The bureau determined that 81 email chains
contained classified information at the time they were sent between 2009 and
2013, and 68 of them remained classified.
The FBI's investigation "did not find
evidence confirming that Clinton's email accounts or mobile devices were
compromised by cyber means," the report said, but it noted that there were
"investigative limitations" that prevented FBI from conclusively determining
if the information was compromised, because not all devices and computer
components were obtained.“Clinton could not recall any briefing or training” at
the State Department “related to the retention of federal records or handling
of classified information,” the interview summary said.
While she was aware that she was an
original classification authority, she could not recall how often she used that
authority or “any training or guidance provided by State” on how to use it.
Clinton and the FBI also discussed the United
State’s drone program and how she communicated with the Pentagon, and the CIA
when “nominating an individual for a drone strike.”She used a
password-protected Blackberry, but the State Department did not provide her
with a secure device, despite requesting one, according to the interview
summary. Clinton “was aware” that President Barack Obama had such a device, and
“it seemed convenient.”
“Her request was not out of concern for the
sensitivity of the information on her then-current device,” the summary noted.
The former secretary of state appeared to
pass the buck with regards to any classified material she received on her
private server. She also assumed that the State Department’s servers would
capture any communications sent to employees at their state.gov accounts, thus
putting her in compliance with the Federal Records Act.“Clinton did not recall
receiving any emails she thought should not be on an unclassified system,” the
interview summary said. “She relied on State officials to use their judgment
when emailing her and could not recall anyone raising concerns with her
regarding the sensitivity of the information she received at her email
address.”
While Clinton “did not explicitly request
permission” to use her private server, she said that “everyone at State knew
she had a private email address because it was displayed to anyone with whom
she exchanged emails.” She estimated that “at least a hundred, if not several
hundred” State Department employees had her email address.
Clinton did not have “any specific routine”
for deleting emails, she told investigators.During the interview, the two FBI
investigators discussed specific emails with Clinton, as well as the context surrounding
them.
The interview summary backed up FBI
Director James Comey’s July testimony on Capitol Hill that Clinton “was
actually sophisticated enough to understand” that the marking “C” in
parentheses denoted a document was classified. She told investigators that she
did not know what the mark meant and “could only speculate it was referencing
paragraphs marked in alphabetical order,” the notes said. She also said she did
not pay attention to the “level” of classified information and took all
classified information seriously. When discussing a specific email with the
FBI, she questioned the classification level.Clinton used a total of 20 mobile
devices ‒ 13 Blackberries, two other phones and five Apple iPads ‒ during her
four years as secretary of state, none of which were provided by the
government.
“When Clinton’s BlackBerry device
malfunctioned, her aides would assist in obtaining a new BlackBerry,” the
interview summary said. “After moving to the new device, her old SIM card was
disposed of by her aides. Clinton did not recall how any data stored on the
device was destroyed. Clinton’s aides would also assist in setting up the new
BlackBerry and implementing any security features.”According to the report,
senior Clinton aides "[Huma] Abedin and [Monica] Hanley indicated the
whereabouts of Clinton's devices would frequently become unknown once she
transitioned to a new device." Justin Cooper, aide who set up the first
server in 2007, recalled two instances "where he destroyed Clinton's old
mobile devices by breaking them in half of hitting them with a hammer."
Clinton told the FBI that “she occasionally
received odd looking email, but never noticed an increase in these types of
emails that would be a cause for concern,” the interview summary said.The
investigation discovered that Clinton didn't have a computer in her State office,
and because the use of mobile devices was prohibited in the Sensitive
Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) where her computer was located, she
would go to a balcony on another floor to check her devices.
