April 25, 2018
(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch today released 281 pages of newly uncovered emails of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from the U.S. Department of State sent and received over her unsecure, non-“state.gov” email system. The emails, dated 2010 through 2013, contain classified information and detail collusion between the Clinton State Department and the Clinton Foundation.
Ten emails contain classified information redacted “in the interest of national defense or foreign policy,” including confidential sources, and concern Israel and the Middle East. Most of the emails include exchanges with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The emails show Hillary Clinton conducted classified and sensitive negotiations about the Israel-Arab conflict on her unsecure, non-governmental server.
- A document labeled “plan” was completely redacted as classified.
- A November 2012 email chain discusses the “Mid East” and includes then-Deputy Chief of Staff Jake Sullivan, Blair as “aclb” and Clinton.
- Another November 2012 email chain discusses the “Mid East” and includes Sullivan, Clinton’s office manager Claire Coleman, Blair and Clinton.
- A November 2012 email chain fully redacted is titled “Mid East Peace” and includes Blair, Clinton, Obama’s Special Envoy to the Middle East David Hale as “haledm2@state.gov,” Sullivan and Blair’s Chief of Staff and former Downing Street aide Catherine Rimmer.
- In an April 2011 email exchange between Blair, Clinton and Sullivan concerning “Israel,” Blair says he “had another long session with BB [Netanyahu].”
- A May 2011 exchange concerns “Israel” and includes Blair, Clinton and Sullivan.
- A May 2011 email concerns “Palestinians” and includes Blair, Clinton and Sullivan. Blair says, “I’ve also sent you a paper.”
- A June 2011 email regarding “Israel” includes Blair, Sullivan and Clinton. Blair says, “Saw Israeli PM. Put the concept of a Q statement. He was receptive. Palestinians interested too. I know there are discussions also you guys are having. And the French initiative….”
- In a July 2011 email – with several national security redactions – written by Blair to Clinton and Sullivan, Blair says, “I saw BB….. Molcho [chief negotiator in the Israeli negotiating team with the Palestinians] will speak to David Hale. I can see Cameron and Sarkozy with David…. I saw Egyptians….”
- A September 2010 email exchange is titled “Info for you,” and includes Sullivan, Blair and Clinton. Blair writes that he just spent three hours with Netanyahu, and Sullivan, using his Sprint BlackBerry, he writes “We have pitched this to [redacted].”
These new classified and other emails appear to be among those that Clinton had attempted to delete or had otherwise failed to disclose. The documents are part of the November 2017 accelerated schedule of production ordered by U.S. District Court Judge James E. Boasberg. The State Department must now complete processing the remaining documents by September 28, 2018. There were 72,000 pages recovered by the FBI in its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s illicit email server. The State Department’s original production rate would have put the completion date into 2020.
The newly obtained documents came in response to a Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed on May 6, 2015, after the State Department failed to respond to a March 4, 2015, FOIA request (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:15-cv-00687)) seeking:
All emails sent or received by former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in her official capacity as Secretary of State, as well as all emails by other State Department employees to Secretary Clinton regarding her non-“state.gov” email address.
Many of the emails involve Abedin, who joined the State Department as deputy chief of staff in 2009. From June 2012-February 2013, she was granted status as a “special government employee,” allowing her to work as a consultant to clients like Teneo and served as a paid consultant to the Clinton Foundation.
Several of the emails demonstrate the commingling of Clinton State Department and Clinton family foundation business:
- In a November 2010 email with subject line, “How do I get through to Bill Clinton,” Rafael Anchia, a lawyer with Haynes Boone, asks Clinton campaign official Ed Meier if he could get to the “gatekeepers” to get Bill Clinton to give a speech in Spain, noting that “a large bank is willing to pay for it.”
Meier forwarded the email to former State Department Deputy Chief of Staff Jake Sullivan who forwarded it to former Deputy Chief of Staff Huma Abedin. Abedin sent it to Bill Clinton’s scheduler at the Clinton Foundation, Terry Krinvic, who provided Clinton’s contact information, to which Sullivan responded, “Awesome.”
- In September 2011, Abedin sent Sullivan an email concerning the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) with “Potential questions for Closing Plenary conversation between Secretary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton” in which Abedin included some “proposed questions” to put to Hillary and Chelsea Clinton. Four days later, Sullivan forwards a revised list of questions (completely redacted as interagency deliberative process) to Abedin and Clinton’s Chief of Staff, Cheryl Mills, saying, “Here are my proposed questions.”
- In a September 2010 email containing subject line, “President Banda’s MOU [Memorandum of Understanding] with Clinton Global Initiative,” U.S. Ambassador Jeanine Jackson writes to Clinton Development Initiative official Walker Morris, (cc’d to Clinton Foundation official Amitabh Desai) discussing State Department spending in the country of Malawi. In the email, Jackson says, “we will be anxious to collaborate once you have an idea of the MOU’s intent.” Morris responds that “we are very excited about CDI’s [Clinton Development Initiative] future work in Malawi and certainly see great opportunity to collaborate.”
The Clinton Foundation work in Malawi involved a Clinton Foundation owned “for-profit agribusinesses including Tukula Farming Company which operates 7200 acres of commercial farms” in the impoverished country.
Other emails show that Bill Clinton appears to conduct State Department and Clinton Foundation business simultaneously:
- In a September 2012 email with subject line “Burma,” Desai briefs Jake Sullivan on Bill Clinton’s discussions in Burma. Desai reports, in part: “WJC mentioned work of CF [Clinton Foundation] and offered to help in any way. TS [Than Shwe, president of Burma] said he already had asked HRC about WJC foundation and wanted to invite WJC foundation to work in myanmar in collaboration with gov agencies and other ngos … TS invited WJC to open offices in Rangoon and Mandelay.” That same day, Abedin writes Desai (cc’s Mills, Sullivan, Fuchs and three other persons whose email address are redacted) with subject line “Re: He had v good meeting with Libya and Burma:” “hrc looking forward to hearing about Burma. We meet at 545. I believe you have downloaded to jake?”
- In a September 2012 email with subject line “Columbia / President Santos,” Desai and Toiv discuss a request by Colombian president, Manuel Santos, that Bill Clinton say some positive words about Santos’ initiative reaching out to the FARC terrorist group. Santos provided the Clinton Foundation with suggested language. Toiv said that she would “check” and also mentioned that she was working on a “visa issue.”
According to a report in the New York Post, the Santos request came not long after Clinton “jetted in for a Pacific Rubiales golf tournament at the Bogota Country Club… Accompanied by Giustra, he played a few holes with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.” The event reportedly raised one million dollars for the Clinton Foundation.
“It is shameful that Hillary Clinton attempted to delete or hide classified information and that Obama appointees James Comey and Loretta Lynch refused to prosecute her,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “It is clear that the Clintons were using the State Department to run an extensive influence peddling scheme. Americans should be concerned that while untold resources are devoted to the abusive Mueller special counsel investigation of President Trump, this Justice Department seems uninterested in prosecuting the Clintons.”
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