Hillary's Email Scandal: Breaking The Law?

why does hillary deleting emails break the law

Hillary Clinton's use of a private email account and home-based server during her time at the State Department from 2009 to 2013 has been the subject of much scrutiny. Clinton opted to use a private email account and home-based server, which were not equipped to handle classified information, rather than an official government email system. In 2014, nearly two years after leaving the State Department, Clinton turned over some 30,000 emails from the system that she deemed work-related, and deleted 30,000 more that she said were personal in nature, without independent oversight. While some have argued that Clinton broke the law by deleting these emails, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has stated that she did not, as she had the authority to delete personal emails without agency supervision. The FBI also found no proof that Clinton intended to break the law, as none of the emails she received were marked to inform her of the classified information.

Characteristics Values
Did Hillary Clinton break the law by deleting emails? No, according to the Department of Justice
Did Clinton have the authority to delete personal emails without agency supervision? Yes
Did Clinton intend to break the law? No, according to the FBI
Was Clinton's email server allowed? The law is grey and has been changed multiple times since she left office

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Hillary Clinton did not break the law in deleting emails, according to the DOJ

Clinton used a private email account and home-based server during her time at the State Department from 2009 to 2013. This was not equipped to handle classified information. In December 2014, nearly two years after leaving the State Department, Clinton turned over 30,000 emails from the system that she deemed work-related, and deleted 30,000 more that she said were personal in nature, without independent oversight.

The FBI launched a year-long inquiry into Clinton's emails with classified information, finding that Clinton didn't intend to break the law. They found no proof that she meant to break any laws, and that none of the emails she received were marked to inform her of the classified information. Prosecutors and the inspector general concluded that there was no evidence that Clinton or the senders were aware that the emails contained classified information.

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Clinton used a private email account and home-based server, which were not equipped to handle classified information

During her time at the State Department from 2009 to 2013, Clinton opted to use a private email account and home-based server, which were not equipped to handle classified information, rather than an official government email system. In December 2014, nearly two years after leaving the State Department, Clinton turned over some 30,000 emails from the system that she deemed work-related, and deleted 30,000 more that she said were personal in nature, without independent oversight.

Clinton's use of a private email account and home-based server was the main focus of an FBI investigation into her emails. While top-ranking FBI officials slammed Clinton’s email scandal as “extremely careless” and “a mistake,” they found no proof she meant to break any laws. The FBI found that none of the emails Clinton received were marked to inform her of the classified information, and she still worded her emails to “talk around” classified information.

Prosecutors and the inspector general concluded, “There was no evidence that the senders or former Secretary Clinton believed or were aware at the time that the emails contained classified information.”

The Department of Justice lawyers told a judge that Clinton had the authority to delete personal emails without agency supervision. They insisted they have no power or obligation to demand that Clinton hand over documents she has not already provided.

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During her time at the State Department from 2009 to 2013, Clinton used a private email account and home-based server, which were not equipped to handle classified information, rather than an official government email system. In December 2014, nearly two years after leaving the State Department, Clinton turned over some 30,000 work-related emails from the system and deleted 30,000 more that she said were personal in nature, without independent oversight.

Clinton's email scandal was described by top-ranking FBI officials as "extremely careless" and "a mistake". However, they found no proof that she meant to break any laws. The focus of the investigation was whether or not she was allowed to have the private email server in the first place as secretary, and the law is grey and has been changed multiple times since she left office.

The Department of Justice lawyers told a judge that "there is no question that Secretary Clinton had the authority to delete personal emails without agency supervision - she appropriately could have done so even if she were working on a government server". The legal brief said it is up to employees to "review each message, identify its value and either delete it or move it to a record-keeping system". The lawyers insisted they have no power or obligation to demand that Clinton hand over documents she has not already provided.

The FBI launched a year-long inquiry into Clinton's emails with classified information, finding that Clinton didn't intend to break the law. None of the emails she received were marked to inform her of the classified information, and she still worded her emails to "talk around" classified information. Prosecutors and the inspector general concluded, "There was no evidence that the senders or former Secretary Clinton believed or were aware at the time that the emails contained classified information".

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The FBI launched a year-long inquiry into Clinton's emails with classified information

Clinton served as Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013. During this time, she opted to use a private email account and home-based server, which were not equipped to handle classified information. In December 2014, nearly two years after leaving the State Department, Clinton turned over 30,000 emails from the system that she deemed work-related, and deleted 30,000 more that she said were personal in nature, without independent oversight.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers told a judge that Clinton had the authority to delete personal emails without agency supervision. They insisted that they have no power or obligation to demand that Clinton hand over documents she has not already provided. The government watchdog group Judicial Watch has at least 16 active lawsuits against the State Department seeking emails from Clinton or her top aides. They argue that the Obama administration is ignoring its internal guidelines.

While top-ranking FBI officials slammed Clinton's email scandal as "extremely careless" and "a mistake," they found no proof that she meant to break any laws. The main focus of the investigation was whether or not she was allowed to have the private email server in the first place as secretary. The law on this matter is grey and has been changed multiple times since Clinton left office.

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The FBI found Clinton didn't intend to break the law

The FBI launched a year-long inquiry into Clinton's emails with classified information, finding that Clinton didn't intend to break the law. None of the emails she received were marked to inform her of the classified information, and she still worded her emails to "talk around" classified information. Prosecutors and the inspector general concluded that there was no evidence that Clinton believed or was aware at the time that the emails contained classified information.

Clinton used a private email account and home-based server, which were not equipped to handle classified information, rather than an official government email system. In December 2014, nearly two years after leaving the State Department, Clinton turned over some 30,000 emails from the system that she deemed work-related, and deleted 30,000 more that she said were personal in nature, without independent oversight.

The Department of Justice lawyers told a judge that there is no question that Clinton had the authority to delete personal emails without agency supervision. They insisted they have no power or obligation to demand that Clinton hand over documents she has not already provided.

While top-ranking FBI officials slammed Clinton's email scandal as "extremely careless" and "a mistake", they found no proof that she meant to break any laws.

Frequently asked questions

No, according to the Department of Justice, Clinton had the authority to delete personal emails without agency supervision.

Clinton deleted 30,000 emails that she deemed to be personal in nature.

Yes, Clinton turned over 30,000 work-related emails to the State Department.

Yes, Clinton used a private email account and home-based server during her time at the State Department from 2009 to 2013.

Yes, the FBI launched a year-long inquiry into Clinton's emails, but found no evidence that she intended to break the law.

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