Source: Obama counsel not aware of Clinton's email practice
Source: Obama counsel not aware of Clinton's email practice
The White House counsel's office was not aware at the time Hillary Clinton was secretary of state that she relied solely on personal email and only found out as part of the congressional investigation into the Benghazi attack, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person said Clinton's exclusive reliance on personal email as the nation's top diplomat was inconsistent with the guidance given to agencies that official business should be conducted on official email accounts.
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.
Marie Harf, State Department spokeswoman
Since the revelations surfaced this week, the Obama administration has been pummeled by endless questions about Clinton, who hasn't formally announced a run. In the absence of an official campaign to defend her, the White House press secretary has been put in the awkward position of being a de facto Clinton spokesman and the most public voice speaking on her behalf. While trying to avoid doing political damage to Clinton, the White House has put the onus on her aides to explain exactly what happened.
It's an extraordinarily delicate dance they have to do to not throw someone overboard, but not get anyone in the White House in deeper trouble.
Ari Fleischer, President George W. Bush's former press secretary
