Hillary Clinton's Legal Troubles: Breaking Laws?

Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server for official communications while Secretary of State drew intense scrutiny and sparked a years-long FBI investigation. While the FBI concluded that Clinton had been extremely careless, they recommended against prosecution, finding no evidence of criminal intent. However, the investigation did uncover several thousand work-related emails that Clinton had not disclosed to the State Department, some of which contained classified information.

The controversy centred on whether Clinton's actions violated federal laws and State Department protocols governing the handling of classified information and record-keeping. While Clinton maintained that her use of a private server was permitted and that the emails in question were not marked as classified, critics argued that her actions may have breached statutes such as the Federal Records Act and 18 U.S.C. § 1924, which pertains to the unauthorised removal and retention of classified documents.

The FBI's decision not to prosecute Clinton was controversial, with some arguing that her actions warranted charges. The controversy was a significant issue during the 2016 presidential election, in which Clinton was the Democratic nominee, and some observers believe it contributed to her loss.

Did Clinton break the law by using a private email server?

Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server for official communications while she was Secretary of State drew a lot of controversy. An internal government watchdog concluded that Clinton broke government rules by using a private email server without approval. The report by the State Department inspector general found that Clinton's use of a private server posed "significant security risks".

The inspector general's report contradicted Clinton's claims that her use of a home server was allowed and that no permission was needed. The report stated that Clinton should have discussed the arrangement with the department's security and technology officials. The report also stated that Clinton and her senior aides declined to speak with the investigators.

Clinton's use of a private email server was also the subject of an FBI investigation. FBI Director James Comey announced that the FBI had completed its investigation and was referring it to the Justice Department with the recommendation "that no charges are appropriate in this case". Comey added that although there was evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information, "no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case". He also said that Clinton was extremely careless in her handling of sensitive, highly classified information.

In conclusion, while Clinton's use of a private email server broke government rules, it was determined that her actions did not break the law.

Did Clinton break the law by using personal devices for government business?

Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server for government business during her tenure as United States Secretary of State drew significant controversy. While some experts, officials, and members of Congress contended that Clinton's actions violated federal law, specifically 18 U.S. Code § 1924, regarding the unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or materials, Clinton herself claimed that her use complied with federal laws and State Department regulations.

After a years-long FBI investigation, it was determined that Clinton's server did not contain any emails that were clearly marked classified. However, federal agencies did retrospectively determine that 100 emails contained information that should have been deemed classified at the time they were sent, including 65 emails deemed "Secret" and 22 deemed "Top Secret".

In July 2016, FBI Director James Comey announced that the FBI investigation had concluded that Clinton had been "extremely careless" but recommended that no charges be filed as they found no clear evidence that she intended to violate laws governing classified information. Comey stated that "no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case".

In September 2019, a three-year State Department investigation concluded that 38 individuals were "culpable" in 91 instances of sending classified information that reached Clinton's email account, though it found "no persuasive evidence of systemic, deliberate mishandling of classified information".

Did Clinton break the law by deleting 33,000 emails?

Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server during her tenure as Secretary of State was a highly controversial issue. While she was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing by the FBI, there were questions about whether she had broken the law by deleting 33,000 emails.

Clinton used a private email server for official communications, rather than official State Department email accounts. After a lengthy FBI investigation, it was determined that Clinton's server did not contain any emails that were clearly marked as classified. However, federal agencies retrospectively deemed that some of the emails contained information that should have been classified.

Clinton's use of a private email system and server was deemed by some experts, officials, and members of Congress to have violated federal law, specifically 18 U.S. Code § 1924, which relates to the unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents. Clinton maintained that her use of a private server complied with federal laws and State Department regulations, and that previous secretaries of state had also maintained personal email accounts.

The FBI investigation concluded that Clinton had been "extremely careless" in her handling of sensitive information, but recommended against filing charges as they determined that Clinton did not act with criminal intent. The investigation found that Clinton had used several different servers and numerous mobile devices, and that she had deleted thousands of emails deemed to be of a personal nature.

While there was no evidence that Clinton intentionally deleted emails to conceal them, her actions did result in the loss of some work-related emails. The FBI determined that it was likely that some work-related emails had been deleted as "personal" by Clinton's lawyers during the sorting process.

In summary, while Clinton's deletion of 33,000 emails may have resulted in the loss of some work-related emails, the FBI found no evidence that she intended to violate the law or conceal information. As such, it was determined that Clinton did not break the law by deleting the emails, and no charges were filed against her.

Did Clinton break the law by lying about her knowledge of the emails?

Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server for official communications during her tenure as Secretary of State drew significant controversy and sparked a years-long FBI investigation. While Clinton's handling of sensitive information was deemed extremely careless, FBI Director James Comey stated that she did not lie or break the law, and no charges were filed.

Clinton's use of a private email system and server was seen by some as a violation of federal law, specifically 18 U.S. Code § 1924, which pertains to the unauthorised removal and retention of classified documents. However, Comey asserted that Clinton did not act with criminal intent, a key standard for prosecution.

While Clinton's actions may have been lawful, they raised concerns about potential security risks and the circumvention of Freedom of Information laws. The controversy surrounding her email usage became a major point of contention during the 2016 presidential election, in which she was the Democratic nominee.

Did Clinton break the law by mishandling classified information?

During her time as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton caused controversy by using a private email server for official communications, instead of official State Department email accounts. This led to an FBI investigation, which concluded that Clinton's server did not contain any clearly marked classified information. However, federal agencies did retrospectively determine that some of the emails contained information that should have been deemed classified.

The controversy centred on whether Clinton's actions had broken federal laws regarding the handling of classified documents. Some experts, officials, and members of Congress argued that Clinton's use of a private email system and server violated federal law, specifically 18 U.S. Code § 1924, which concerns the unauthorised removal and retention of classified documents.

Clinton, however, claimed that her use of a private email system complied with federal laws and State Department regulations, and that previous secretaries of state had also maintained personal email accounts.

The FBI investigation concluded that Clinton had been extremely careless but recommended that no charges be filed, as they determined that Clinton did not act with criminal intent, which is the historical standard for pursuing prosecution. FBI Director James Comey stated that:

> "Although there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case."

A later State Department investigation found that Clinton's use of a non-government server for government business caused 588 security violations for mishandling classified information. However, the investigation also concluded that there was "no persuasive evidence of systemic, deliberate mishandling of classified information".

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