By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Monday, August 17, US Representative Martha Roby (R-Montgomery) commented on the Hillary Clinton handling of classified information scandal which grew out of the Benghazi investigation.
Congresswoman Roby said, “By now you’ve heard the news that the US Department of Justice is taking possession of the personal, secret server former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton used to conduct official email correspondence. Clinton’s decision to finally surrender the server to authorities comes in the wake of revelations that classified, ‘Top Secret’ materials were indeed contained in emails on her private account, counter to her previous claims.”
Rep. Roby asked, “But, what makes this development so significant? Why does it matter to the FBI whether Clinton used her own private system to conduct email correspondence?”
The conservative congresswoman said, “First, federal law prohibits storing classified information in unauthorized places, with penalties ranging from a fine to one year in prison. We have stringent security protocols for those who deal with sensitive, classified information because that information could be used to threaten our national security and put those in military or clandestine service at risk.”
Representative Roby explained, “For example, NBC News recently reported that Chinese hackers had penetrated the private email accounts of many top Executive Branch officials since 2010. The officials’ government accounts were not penetrated, though, because they have a much higher level of security.”
Roby said, “It’s unclear whether Secretary Clinton’s personal account was among those hacked through in-house systems like hers are believed to be particularly vulnerable. The bottom line is Secretary Clinton deliberately flouted our nation’s protocols with her personal email arrangement and, in doing so, threatened the security of classified, Top Secret information…She has already deleted more than 30,000 emails and wiped the server clean, so it’s unclear how much can be gleaned from what was turned over. But I am hopeful the FBI, Inspectors General and the Select Committee on Benghazi can get to the bottom of it.”
Rep. Roby stated, “My colleagues and I are preparing for Secretary Clinton’s appearance before the Select Committee in October. Given these revelations and her previous statements, she has some explaining to do.”
Rep. Roby serves on the Select Committee on Benghazi which has been investigating the events that led to the Benghazi disaster where American diplomatic personnel were killed including the US Ambassador to Libya. The investigation into who knew what and when did they know uncovered that then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton used a personal email system with a server in a bathroom closet at her home for official State Department business.
The US Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether or not classified information may have been on that unsecure network, which potentially could be a violation of US law.
On Wednesday, August 19, Sec. Clinton’s campaign, claimed that a Fox News report by Catherine Herridge on the origin of the FBI probe into the candidate’s server proves she did nothing wrong. The emails that helped lead to the DOJ investigation were from two top Clinton advisers, Huma Abedin and Jake Sullivan, and have already been released to the Benghazi select committee. Both Abedin and Sullivan now work for the Clinton presidential campaign.
Republican frontrunner Donald Trump told CNN on Thursday that Secretary Clinton conduct was either criminal or inept, “Either way she should not be President.”
Congresswoman Martha Roby represents Alabama’s Second Congressional District.
(Original reporting by Fox News and CNN contributed to this report)
