Just when you thought the Hillary Clinton email saga was a distant 2016 election memory, the entire ordeal has apparently reared it’s ugly head once again. Fox News confirmed that the U.S. State Department has opened a formal inquiry “into whether former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her aides mishandled classified information while she was the nation’s top diplomat.”
But here’s what might strike some as odd. To this very day, the former Secretary of State still has a security clearance to view classified information despite former FBI Director James Comey finding her handling of the information “extremely reckless.” On top of that, a U.S. Department of State Inspector General’s report also found Clinton did not follow policies when she maintained a private email server.
“At a minimum, Secretary Clinton should have surrendered all emails dealing with department business before leaving government service and, because she did not do so, she did not comply with the Department’s policies that were implemented in accordance with the Federal Records Act,” the report said. An FBI probe determined that criminal charges against Clinton were not warranted.
We checked in with D.C.-based national security attorney Bradley Moss about why she may still have the security clearance. Moss told LawNewz.com that it is typical for former senior officials to remain sponsored for security clearances in case they have to be called to advise on matter involving classified information.
The State Department could move to revoke Clinton’s clearance following the conclusion of the probe. She has the right to appeal any decision.
“It would be unusual for this to happen for a senior official … but Clinton’s behavior was unusual as well,” Moss told LawNewz.com.
The Senate Judiciary Committee also opened a new investigation in March probing Clinton’s handling of emails.
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