Chaffetz Requests Details on Mishandling of Classified Information by Clinton Lawyers

Letter to FBI asks if spillage was fully investigated and remediated

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) sent a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey asking for information related to unauthorized individuals gaining access to classified information due to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.

Chairman Chaffetz previously asked Director Comey and U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch for clarity on the issue during hearings on July 7 and July 12.

The letter states:

“Just as classified information may not be provided to anyone without an appropriate clearance, classified information must also not be stored on a computer system that is not authorized to store it.  The transfer of classified information from a computer system authorized to store it to one that is not is called spillage.”

Documents requested in the letter:

• Information as to whether the FBI investigated the possibility that Secretary Clinton’s classified emails were improperly stored or accessed by her personal representatives or by individuals at Williams & Connolly LLP, including on any unauthorized electronic devices or media, such as desktops or servers, and the Bureau’s conclusion if it did investigate that;

• A description of the manner in which Clinton’s personal representatives and individuals at Williams & Connolly stored any electronic devices and media and physical documents containing Secretary Clinton’s classified emails when they were not in use, and a description of the physical location in which those devices, media, and documents were accessed when they were in use, including the Bureau’s assessment of whether those met applicable security requirements;

• What steps were taken to remediate any possible spillage of classified information stored on electronic media or in any of the other various locations in which Secretary Clinton’s emails were stored and accessed;

• Whether the FBI informed Secretary Clinton of the classified findings in its investigation and, if so, when;

• Whether the FBI is conducting any other related investigations, or has attempted to do so, and the current status of each such investigation;

• Whether the FBI referred any of its findings to any other agency for review for potential security violations or misconduct or disciplinary proceedings;

• An unclassified copy of the documents provided to the Committee on August 16, 2016, with all classified information redacted.

Full text of the letter can be viewed here.