House committee subpoenas Clinton emails in Benghazi probe

[webfact]

House committee subpoenas Clinton emails in Benghazi probe
By JACK GILLUM and TED BRIDIS

WASHINGTON (AP) — A House committee investigating the Benghazi, Libya, attacks issued subpoenas Wednesday for the emails of Hillary Rodham Clinton, who used a private account exclusively for official business when she was secretary of state — and also used a computer email server now traced back to her family's New York home.

The subpoenas from the Republican-led Select Committee on Benghazi demanded additional material from Clinton and others related to Libya, spokesman Jamal D. Ware said. The panel also sent instructions to technology companies instructing them to preserve any relevant documents in their possession.

The development on Capitol Hill came the same day AP reported the existence of a personal email server traced back to the Chappaqua, New York, home of Clinton. The unusual practice of a Cabinet-level official running her own email server would have given Clinton — who is expected to run for president in the 2016 campaign — significant control over limiting access to her message archives.

The practice also would complicate the State Department's legal responsibilities in finding and turning over official emails in response to any investigations, lawsuits or public records requests. The department would be the position of accepting Clinton's assurances she was surrendering everything required that was in her control.

Congress said it learned last summer about Clinton's use of a private email account to conduct official State Department business during its investigation of the Benghazi attacks on a U.S. mission in which four Americans died.

"It doesn't matter if the server was in Foggy Bottom, Chappaqua, or Bora Bora," House Speaker John Boehner said. "The Benghazi Select Committee needs to see all of these emails, because the American people deserve all of the facts."

The chairman of the Benghazi committee, Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., told reporters: "I want the documents. Sooner rather than later."

Democrats called it a fishing expedition.

"Everything I've seen so far has led me to believe that this is an effort to go after Hillary Clinton, period," said Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the top Democrat on the committee.

The questions about Clinton's email practices left the Obama administration in an awkward position. At one point, the State Department directed reporters to contact Clinton, who has not publicly commented about her emails. The White House said it was her responsibility to make sure any emails about official business weren't deleted from her private server.

Meanwhile, the AP said it was considering legal action under the Freedom of Information Act against the State Department for failing to turn over some emails covering Clinton's tenure as the nation's top diplomat after waiting more than one year. The department has never suggested that it doesn't possess all Clinton's emails.

It was not immediately clear exactly where Clinton's computer server was run, but a business record for the Internet connection it used was registered under the home address for her residence as early as August 2010. The customer was listed as Eric Hoteham.

An aide to then-first lady Clinton was identified in a 2002 congressional report as Eric Hothem, whose name is spelled differently than in the Internet records. Hothem, a financial adviser in Washington, was not available to take a phone call when reached at his office Wednesday. He was a special assistant to Clinton as far back as 1997, and considered one of the family's information technology experts.

A parody Twitter account for Hoteham appeared Wednesday after the AP cited the records, sending satirical tweets supporting Clinton's campaign. Hoteham's name had not appeared with that spelling in public-record databases, campaign contribution records or online background searches.

In most cases, individuals who operate their own email servers are technical experts or users so concerned about issues of privacy and surveillance they take matters into their own hands.

Clinton — who emailed so frequently using her BlackBerry as secretary of state that it became an Internet meme — is particularly sensitive about disclosures of personal files based on her experiences in confronting congressional investigations and civil lawsuits during her husband's election and presidency and her own roles as first lady, senator, presidential candidate and Cabinet official.

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Clinton as Cabinet secretary never used a government email account on the agency's separate network for sharing classified information, which Clinton would have been prohibited from forwarding to her private email account.

"She had other ways of communicating through classified email through her assistants or her staff, with people, when she needed to use a classified setting," Harf said.

Most Internet users rely on professional outside companies, such as Google Inc. or their own employers, for the behind-the-scenes complexities of managing their email communications. Government employees generally use servers run by federal agencies where they work. Clinton's email practices appear to be far more sophisticated than some politicians, including Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin, who were found to have been conducting official business using free email services operated by Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc.

Clinton has not described her reasons for using a private email account — [email protected], which appears to include a nod to her middle name, Diane. A spokesman for her did not respond to requests seeking comment from the AP on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Operating her own server would have afforded Clinton additional legal opportunities to block government or private subpoenas in criminal, administrative or civil cases because her lawyers could object in court before being forced to turn over any emails. And since the Secret Service was guarding Clinton's home, an email server there would have been well protected from theft or a physical hacking.

But homemade email servers are generally not as reliable, secure from hackers or protected from fires or floods as those in commercial data centers.

The Hoteham registration is also associated with a separate email server, presidentclinton.com, and a nonfunctioning website, wjcoffice.com, all linked to the same residential Internet account as Mrs. Clinton's email server. The former president's full name is William Jefferson Clinton.

Hothem, the former Clinton aide, surfaced in at least two Clinton administration controversies. A congressional report in 2002 investigating pardons said a Citibank account linked to Hothem wired $15,000 to President Clinton's brother, Roger, in March 2001, while investigators were trying to compel Roger Clinton to testify about his role in several pardon cases. The president's lawyer told investigators the money came from a personal account of the Clintons and was intended for Clinton's brother to hire a lawyer.

In early 2001, Hothem was also named by a former White House chief usher as saying the Clintons were permitted to take furniture when they left the White House that later was determined to belong to the government.

Sue Hothem, his wife, is a well-known fundraiser and political consultant in Washington. Last year, she was named a vice president for the technology lobbying group TechNet. It said she previously headed development efforts for the Democratic Leadership Council and the Progressive Policy Institute.

Mrs. Clinton's email options included using an official State Department account or even a secret agency email address, which the AP revealed in 2013 as a common practice across the U.S. government and by previous administrations. Many senior U.S. officials use alternate addresses that aren't disclosed to the public for official business so they are not inundated with unwanted messages.

But the State Department's email system might not have been attractive to Clinton because it is frequently targeted by hackers. The AP revealed in 2006 and 2014 that the agency had suffered significant electronic break-ins. In the most recent incident, the department took the unprecedented step of shutting down its entire unclassified email system. While Clinton was secretary of state in 2010, a U.S. soldier, Chelsea Manning, stole 250,000 diplomatic cables and turned them over to WikiLeaks, which published them online.
___

Associated Press writers Stephen Braun, Matthew Daly and Donna Cassata contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-03-05

[snarky66]

I'm just waiting for my popcorn to be ready. This is going to get good.

[klauskunkel]

[email protected]

analyzing her email:

hdr = high dynamic range, Hilary Diane Rodham, hot dog Rottweiler,

22 = her weight (in kilotons), her age (in wishful thinking), her test score (subject classified)

[FangFerang]

Oddly, the worst thing for the Republicans to do is to discredit her before she runs for office. Swing voters are not very interested in having Hillary be the President. If Hillary withdraws, they might field someone who could capture the swing voters.

[wabothai]

The presidential race has started, nothing new.

[JDGRUEN]

Her Thighness thinks it is okay to conduct State Department Business on her own email server system - in her home! ... There are no limits to the chutzpah of the Imperial Democrats. Miss Killery of Benghazi shame knows that she is above the law ... why should't she be -- she is the wife of a former president which totally qualified her to be Secretary of State. I hear she has secretly bought Imelda Marcos's shoe collection to help her appearance in her exalted position as soon to be leader of the world... Will she let us eat cake?

[Chicog]

I hope we aren't going to get another "I did not have sex with that woman" moment.

[Expat1]

Looking forward to see if all of the USG's much vaunted laws they have put in place to safeguard the poor Americans against evil terrorists by having access to the American's emails will actually function when chasing someone that may possibly have real power in the not too distant future.

Any bets on this?

[JDGRUEN]

Seems the federal embezzlement statutes extend beyond the taking of money - and also deal with the concept of 'covering' government records and other property...

Potential violations of serious Federal laws are in play

Did Hillary Clinton Violate the Federal Embezzlement Law?

"she (Hillary) may also have violated a federal penal statute that makes it a felony for the custodian of government records to conceal or otherwise tamper with them".

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/414886/did-hillary-clinton-violate-federal-embezzlement-law-andrew-c-mccarthy

Edited March 5, 2015 by JDGRUEN

[JDGRUEN]

Former Clinton Spokesman Denies Using Private Email Account

Communications staffer well known for aggressive responses to reporters

http://freebeacon.com/politics/former-clinton-spokesman-denies-using-private-email-account/

[arjunadawn]

[she/they] are such obvious and vile criminals. Her audacity is only equaled by her contempt of American; this characteristic explains why being in the Obama admin was an easy fit. Go, dig deeper, find those Egypt related emails myself and others have been talking about. That Hillary is a bought and paid for lackey of the Muslim Brotherhood really surprises no one, least of all Egyptians. Those emails DO exist; lets see how convoluted the road is to securing these emails will be, and the unassailable evidence that she effectively broke countless laws, the State email account requirement being the least of them. I am more interested in the emails regarding her role in coups, murder, insurrection, conspiracy, violations of international and Egyptian law. Lets see the emails regarding the Libyan leader begging a way out and Hillary demanding his death and destruction. Demonstrations? Lets see the emails where she fabricated the impending genocide in Tripoli that never was. I hope she dies a broken, discredited, dishonored woman, who finally defined herself not by who she was but by who she pretended to be. Hillary is a criminal. Hillary is more than complicit in murder. Hillary should be tried with treason but then having her and a sitting president charged at the same time would be unseemly.

[Srikcir]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I'm just waiting for my popcorn to be ready. This is going to get good.

Like all Republican investigations of Demmocrats, the trailer is always better than the movie.

[Chicog]

It's so funny watching the hand wringing and wailing accompanying this story.

I look forward to Fox's 24-hour battering of Colin Powell for doing the same thing when he worked for Bush Jr.

[wwest5829]

It's so funny watching the hand wringing and wailing accompanying this story.

I look forward to Fox's 24-hour battering of Colin Powell for doing the same thing when he worked for Bush Jr.

z

Thank you for including the Colin Powell link. Someone also pointed out that the law addressing this was made in 2013 and 2014. While facts do not seem to faze some folks I do look for citation of sources and countervailing points. Let's see, there have been 7 previous investigations and now Gowdy has launched the 8th investigation.

[JDGRUEN]

Napolitano: 'Hillary Clinton Is in a Lot of Trouble Legally'

The State Department claims that Clinton did not send or receive classified information on her personal account. Megyn Kelly asked Napolitano: what are the odds of that? “In my view, it would be inconceivable,” Napolitano said. “I don’t know how she could do her job because she had the highest security clearance there is.”

http://insider.foxnews.com/2015/03/04/napolitano-hillary-clinton-lot-trouble-legally

[Rancid]

So we have one bunch of corrupt bought politicians going after another one? Broemer wants the American people to know all the facts, he could start by explaining why most reps are millionaires. If not when entering politics then certainly when leaving it.

So they've been given the go ahead to string up Hillary (no doubt shell be well rewarded) ,does that mean Jeb Bush is now a snow in? Welcome to WW3. In fact Thailand may be a good spot to watch the missiles passing overhead.

[JDGRUEN]

So we have one bunch of corrupt bought politicians going after another one? Broemer wants the American people to know all the facts, he could start by explaining why most reps are millionaires. If not when entering politics then certainly when leaving it.

So they've been given the go ahead to string up Hillary (no doubt shell be well rewarded) ,does that mean Jeb Bush is now a snow in? Welcome to WW3. In fact Thailand may be a good spot to watch the missiles passing overhead.

And what does your post have to do with the topic aside from deflecting from the issue at hand?

[JDGRUEN]

VIDEO: In 2007, Hillary Said Secret Emails ‘Shredded’ The Constitution

http://dailycaller.com/2015/03/04/video-in-2007-hillary-said-secret-emails-shredded-the-constitution/

[brewsterbudgen]

Who else do the Democrats have? McWarren? I guess when looking at the shockingly crazy bunch of right wing loons on the GOP side, any Democrat will do if Hillary is really done for.

[JDGRUEN]

Krauthammer’s Take: Hillary Is Not Trying to Clear the Air, Because She Can’t

Why doesn’t Hillary Clinton do a no-holds-barred, Chris Christie-style press conference to clear the air over her secret email accounts? “Because the answers to the questions, if remotely honest,” says Charles Krauthammer, “are self-indicting.”

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/414973/krauthammers-take-hillary-not-trying-clear-air-because-she-cant-nro-staff

Edited March 6, 2015 by JDGRUEN

[brewsterbudgen]

Napolitano? Krauthammer? Fair and balanced? Give me a break!

[JDGRUEN]

Napolitano? Krauthammer? Fair and balanced? Give me a break!

Scoffing at news sources is not going to make this problem go away. It is far bigger than that...

Politicos like Hillary get to being aloof and detached from the reality of the situation ... which will lead to their downfall sooner or later...

[brewsterbudgen]

Napolitano? Krauthammer? Fair and balanced? Give me a break!

Scoffing at news sources is not going to make this problem go away. It is far bigger than that...

Politicos like Hillary get to being aloof and detached from the reality of the situation ... which will lead to their downfall sooner or later...

You may be right, but I doubt it. It won't stop the rabid rightwing media doing their best to bring her down though. They know whoever gets the GOP nomination will have no chance against her, so it's really their only tactic.

[JDGRUEN]

Napolitano? Krauthammer? Fair and balanced? Give me a break!

Scoffing at news sources is not going to make this problem go away. It is far bigger than that...

Politicos like Hillary get to being aloof and detached from the reality of the situation ... which will lead to their downfall sooner or later...

You may be right, but I doubt it. It won't stop the rabid rightwing media doing their best to bring her down though. They know whoever gets the GOP nomination will have no chance against her, so it's really their only tactic.

Dream on ...

[snarky66]

Here's my guess. Hillary will say " we kept those emails on a hard drive but the hard drive crashed so we threw it away". That is the ruse they tried to use with Lois Lerner.

[pitrevie]

[she/they] are such obvious and vile criminals. Her audacity is only equaled by her contempt of American; this characteristic explains why being in the Obama admin was an easy fit. Go, dig deeper, find those Egypt related emails myself and others have been talking about. That Hillary is a bought and paid for lackey of the Muslim Brotherhood really surprises no one, least of all Egyptians. Those emails DO exist; lets see how convoluted the road is to securing these emails will be, and the unassailable evidence that she effectively broke countless laws, the State email account requirement being the least of them. I am more interested in the emails regarding her role in coups, murder, insurrection, conspiracy, violations of international and Egyptian law. Lets see the emails regarding the Libyan leader begging a way out and Hillary demanding his death and destruction. Demonstrations? Lets see the emails where she fabricated the impending genocide in Tripoli that never was. I hope she dies a broken, discredited, dishonored woman, who finally defined herself not by who she was but by who she pretended to be. Hillary is a criminal. Hillary is more than complicit in murder. Hillary should be tried with treason but then having her and a sitting president charged at the same time would be unseemly.

Amazing and you know all that without even having seen one email. Hang her now I say why waste the time with the umpteenth enquiry on Benghazi.

[JDGRUEN]

Hillary's Staff --- Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills, Huma Abedin, and Phillippe Reines, used her private email system.

http://www.wnd.com/2015/03/muslim-brotherhood-princess-used-clinton-email-server/#MGbitCQIWmq7dMxr.99

[NeverSure]

Hillary's Staff --- Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills, Huma Abedin, and Phillippe Reines, used her private email system.

http://www.wnd.com/2015/03/muslim-brotherhood-princess-used-clinton-email-server/#MGbitCQIWmq7dMxr.99

It figures. If you're going to hide something, hide it deep and cover it up.

Her fan club will say something to indicate this isn't important or whatever, but the Associated Press in its suit to get the emails under the Freedom of Information Act is not right wing and it isn't going away. Hillary is getting hammered from the left and the right.

It would be totally dishonest to say that this is a right wing beat-down she's getting.

She hasn't formally announced her candidacy for POTUS yet. Will she?

Edited March 13, 2015 by NeverSure

[JDGRUEN]

Hillary's Staff --- Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills, Huma Abedin, and Phillippe Reines, used her private email system.

http://www.wnd.com/2015/03/muslim-brotherhood-princess-used-clinton-email-server/#MGbitCQIWmq7dMxr.99

It figures. If you're going to hide something, hide it deep and cover it up.

Her fan club will say something to indicate this isn't important or whatever, but the Associated Press in its suit to get the emails under the Freedom of Information Act is not right wing and it isn't going away. Hillary is getting hammered from the left and the right.

It would be totally dishonest to say that this is a right wing beat-down she's getting.

She hasn't formally announced her candidacy for POTUS yet. Will she?

I saw a headline about the President being upset with Hillary and is pointing fingers .... couldn't get the full meaning of it ... I am going to look for more ,...

[JDGRUEN]

This is juicy .... if only half of it is true ...

Fox Guest: Hillary Email Controversy an ‘Inside Job’ Ordered by Obama, Valerie Jarrett

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/fox-guest-hillary-email-controversy-an-inside-job-ordered-by-obama-valerie-jarrett/