Clinton Concedes Mistake in Using Private Email, Rejects Security Risk Accusations

Strategic Insights -

Confronting a growing political furor, Hillary Rodham Clinton conceded Tuesday that it was a mistake to exclusively use private email as secretary of state, but she defiantly rejected accusations that she created a security risk or violated the law. Clinton's acknowledgment that she deleted emails she described as personal in nature is likely to fuel further criticism from Republicans who see the matter as harmful to the former secretary of state's all-but-certain presidential campaign.

The email controversy stems from reports last week that Clinton had exclusively used both a private email address and a private server while at the State Department. Clinton said she had exchanged about 60,000 emails in her four years as President Barack Obama's secretary of state, with half being work-related and none containing classified information. The controversy has presented a major test for Clinton and upended her careful blueprint for the rollout of her campaign.

Key Takeaways:

  • Clinton conceded that using private email as secretary of state was a mistake, but rejected accusations of creating a security risk or violating the law.
  • Clinton deleted emails she described as personal in nature, including messages about her daughter's wedding, mother's funeral, and yoga routine.
  • Clinton exchanged about 60,000 emails in her four years as secretary of state, with half being work-related and none containing classified information.
  • Clinton's use of personal email was described as a matter of "convenience" and to avoid carrying two devices.
  • Clinton left the Obama administration in early 2013 but didn't turn over her written communications for nearly two years and only in response to a State Department request.
  • The email controversy has raised questions about whether Clinton fully complied with federal laws requiring government officials to preserve written communications involving official business.
  • Clinton's email system experienced no security breaches, according to Clinton, but she provided no evidence to support this assertion.
  • Passages revealing anything from trade secrets to sensitive national security information could be redacted from the emails, which will be posted online for the public to see once the review is complete.
  • Clinton's comments are unlikely to quell efforts by GOP lawmakers to use the matter to bolster their investigation into the deaths of four Americans at a U.S. facility in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012.
  • Rep. Trey Gowdy, the South Carolina Republican leading the committee, plans to call Clinton to testify at least twice as a result of the controversy.

Statistics:

  • 60,000: the number of emails Clinton exchanged in her four years as secretary of state.
  • 30,000: the number of personal emails Clinton deleted.
  • 4 years: the length of Clinton's tenure as secretary of state.
  • 2 years: the amount of time Clinton took to turn over her written communications after leaving the Obama administration.
  • 2012: the year four Americans were killed in Benghazi, Libya, which has been tied to the email controversy.

Sources:

  • Associated Press
  • United Nations
  • Hillary Rodham Clinton