Mike Segar/Reuters
A State Department inspector general’s report to be released Wednesday found that Hillary Clinton’s exclusive use of a private email account to conduct official business was “not an appropriate method” of preserving federal records. Clinton handed over her emails to the State Department almost two years after leaving her post as secretary of State, but the IG report said she should have either printed and saved her emails while she was in office, or turned over all of her work emails immediately after leaving the department. The report also states Clinton did not seek proper legal approval before she opted to use a private email server. Clinton’s campaign team has said repeatedly that she was operating within the bounds of the law.
In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon acknowledged widespread and long-standing issues with the department's electronic record-keeping, but did not mention many of the specific claims in the inspector general report.
"While political opponents of Hillary Clinton are sure to misrepresent this report for their own partisan purposes, in reality, the Inspector General documents just how consistent her email practices were with those of other Secretaries and senior officials at the State Department who also used a personal email," Fallon said.