Hillary Clinton's campaign just sent out this 13-paragraph message explaining her 'complicated' email controversy
"You might hear some news over the next few days about Hillary Clinton's emails," wrote her campaign's communications director, Jennifer Palmieri. "Because you are an important part of this team, we wanted to take a few minutes to talk through the facts - we need your help to make sure they get out there.
Clinton's decision to exclusively use a personal email account for government business received new scrutiny on Tuesday, when her aides told reporters that she is handing over her private email server to the Justice Department.
Various concerns have been raised about Clinton's email use, including the security of classified information on her server. According to The New York Times, "the inspector general for the intelligence community told members of Congress that Mrs. Clinton had 'top secret' information - the highest classification of government intelligence - in two emails among the 40 from the private account that the State Department has allowed him to review."
State Department spokesman John Kirby said the emails in question were forwarded to Clinton's private email address in 2009 and 2011.
In her message to Clinton supporters, Palmieri argued that the email controversy is "complicated" but that the former secretary of state did nothing wrong. She stressed that Clinton did not send any or receive any material marked classified at the time, but said some messages may have been retroactively classified.
"What makes it complicated: It's common for information previously considered unclassified to be upgraded to classified before being publicly released," Palmieri said. "Some emails that weren't secret at the time she sent or received them might be secret now. And sometimes government agencies disagree about what should be classified, so it isn't surprising that another agency might want to conduct its own review, even though the State Department has repeatedly confirmed that Hillary's emails contained no classified information at the time she sent or received them."
Palmieri also took another shot at a botched Times story from last month that claimed there was a criminal inquiry into Clinton's email use. The Times corrected the story to tone down that claim but Palmieri publicly wrote a long letter to the newspaper's chief to note the campaign's dismay.
"To be clear, there is absolutely no criminal inquiry into Hillary's email or email server," she wrote Wednesday to the campaign's supporters. "Any and all reports to that effect have been widely debunked. Hillary directed her team to provide her email server and a thumb drive in order to cooperate with the review process and to ensure these materials were stored in a safe and secure manner."
The Clinton campaign also accused her potential Republican opponents of being hypocritical on the email issue.
"It's worth noting: Many of the Republican candidates for president have done the same things for which they're now criticizing Hillary. As governor, Jeb Bush owned his own private server and his staff decided which emails he turned over as work-related from his private account. Bobby Jindal went a step further, using private email to communicate with his immediate staff but refusing to release his work-related emails. Scott Walker and Rick Perry had email issues themselves," Palmieri wrote.
"It's okay," she concluded. "We'll be ready. We have the facts, our principles, and you on our side. And it's vital that you read and absorb the real story so that you know what to say the next time you hear about this around the dinner table or the water cooler."
View the full message below:
Friend --
You might hear some news over the next few days about Hillary Clinton's emails. Because you are an important part of this team, we wanted to take a few minutes to talk through the facts -- we need your help to make sure they get out there.
There's a lot of misinformation, so bear with us; the truth matters on this.
Here are the basics: Like other Secretaries of State who served before her, Hillary used a personal email address, and the rules of the State Department permitted it. She's already acknowledged that, in hindsight, it would have been better just to use separate work and personal email accounts. No one disputes that.
The State Department's request: Last year, as part of a review of its records, the State Department asked the last four former Secretaries of State to provide any work-related emails they had. Hillary was the only former Secretary of State to provide any materials -- more than 30,000 emails. In fact, she handed over too many -- the Department said it will be returning over 1,200 messages to her because, in their and the National Archives' judgment, these messages were completely personal in nature.
Hillary didn't send any classified materials over email: Hillary only used her personal account for unclassified email. No information in her emails was marked classified at the time she sent or received them. She viewed classified materials in hard copy in her office or via other secure means while traveling, not on email.
What makes it complicated: It's common for information previously considered unclassified to be upgraded to classified before being publicly released. Some emails that weren't secret at the time she sent or received them might be secret now. And sometimes government agencies disagree about what should be classified, so it isn't surprising that another agency might want to conduct its own review, even though the State Department has repeatedly confirmed that Hillary's emails contained no classified information at the time she sent or received them.
To be clear, there is absolutely no criminal inquiry into Hillary's email or email server. Any and all reports to that effect have been widely debunked. Hillary directed her team to provide her email server and a thumb drive in order to cooperate with the review process and to ensure these materials were stored in a safe and secure manner.
What about the Benghazi committee? While you may hear from the Republican-led Benghazi committee about Hillary's emails, it is important to remember that the committee was formed to focus on learning lessons from Benghazi to help prevent future tragedies at our embassies and consulates around the globe. Instead, the committee, led by Republican Representative Trey Gowdy, is spending nearly $6 million in taxpayer money to conduct a partisan witch-hunt designed to do political damage to Hillary in the run-up to the election.
Hillary has remained absolutely committed to cooperating. That's why, just as she gave her email server to the government, she's also testifying before the Benghazi committee in October and is actively working with the Justice Department to make sure they have what they need. She hopes that her emails will continue to be released in a timely fashion.
It's worth noting: Many of the Republican candidates for president have done the same things for which they're now criticizing Hillary. As governor, Jeb Bush owned his own private server and his staff decided which emails he turned over as work-related from his private account. Bobby Jindal went a step further, using private email to communicate with his immediate staff but refusing to release his work-related emails. Scott Walker and Rick Perry had email issues themselves.
The bottom line: Look, this kind of nonsense comes with the territory of running for president. We know it, Hillary knows it, and we expect it to continue from now until Election Day.
It's okay. We'll be ready. We have the facts, our principles, and you on our side. And it's vital that you read and absorb the real story so that you know what to say the next time you hear about this around the dinner table or the water cooler.
Take a look at more details here, including a complete Q&A, and pass them along:
https://www.hillaryclinton.com/email-facts/
Thanks,
Jennifer
Jennifer Palmieri
Communications Director
Hillary for America