A defiant Hillary Clinton on Tuesday finally addressed the simmering controversy surrounding her use of a private email account and private server while she served as secretary of state.
But she said a whole lot of nothing.
She started the news conference at the United Nations in New York by talking about gender equality and taking a shot at the Republicans who sent a letter to Iran’s leadership regarding the ongoing nuclear negotiations with Obama.
It was a not-so-slick move to try to make her emails seem like a small issue and take the onus off of herself.
Then she gave one of the worst explanations possible for using a private server.
“I opted for convenience to use my personal email account, which was allowed by the State Department, because I thought it would be easier to carry just one device for my work and for my personal emails instead of two,” she said.
“Looking back, it would have been better if I’d simply used a second email account and carried a second phone.”
Clinton defiantly told reporters she would not allow an outside arbiter to examine her server — and claimed that none of her emails contained matters of national security.
“There were no security breaches,” she said.
Clinton said many of her emails were private conversations between herself and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, but that contradicts what Bill Clinton’s spokesman told the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.
The former president, who does regularly use Twitter, has sent a grand total of two emails during his entire life, both as president, says Matt McKenna, his spokesman. After leaving office, Mr. Clinton established his own domain that staff use–@presidentclinton.com. But Mr. Clinton still doesn’t use email himself, Mr. McKenna said.
As president, Mr. Clinton’s first email was a message to John Glenn, the former senator and astronaut who in 1998 was making a return trip to space. Mr. Glenn wrote Mr. Clinton, and the president replied. “Hillary and I had a great time at the launch,” Mr. Clinton wrote in his note. “We are very proud of you and the entire crew, and a little jealous.”
By not turning over her server to an independent arbiter, Mrs. Clinton is basically telling America to “take her word for it.”
And that’s not good enough for Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., the chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, which is investigating the 2012 terrorist attacks in Libya that killed four Americans, including the American ambassador.
Gowdy issued a statement shortly after Clinton’s news conference.
“Having finally heard from Secretary Clinton about her exclusive use of personal email with which to conduct official business while serving as secretary of state, regrettably we are left with more questions than answers,” he said.
“For instance, there remain serious questions about the security of the system she employed from a national security standpoint, who authorized this exclusive use of personal email despite guidance to the contrary from both her State Department and the White House, who had access to the server from the time Secretary Clinton left office until the time — almost two years later — the State Department asked for these public records back, and who culled through the records to determine which were personal and which were public.
“Without access to Secretary Clinton’s personal server, there is no way for the State Department to know it has acquired all documents that should be made public, and given State’s delay in disclosing the fact Secretary Clinton exclusively used personal email to conduct State business, there is no way to accept State’s or Secretary Clinton’s certification she has turned over all documents that rightfully belong to the American people.
“That is why I see no choice but for Secretary Clinton to turn her server over to a neutral, detached third-party arbiter who can determine which documents should be public and which should remain private.”
The Twitterverse was ripe with ridicule for the evasive Clinton.
In effect, @HillaryClinton told us to trust her. Nothing in her track record suggests we should do so.
— Carly Fiorina (@CarlyFiorina) March 10, 2015
Today Hillary Clinton proved she was too old and ill prepared for a 3am phone call.
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) March 10, 2015
First gender equality – now Hillary is talking about Iran…
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) March 10, 2015
HRC starts w/ women equality and then SLAMS the 47 Republican Senators BIG TIME
— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) March 10, 2015
Hillary quickly dancing to put the onus on Republicans and off of herself.
— Carmine Sabia (@CarmineSabia) March 10, 2015
Emails @HillaryClinton considered personal were deleted! If she thought #benghazi was personal or accidentally classified as; they’re gone!
— Alysia Stern (@AlysiaStern) March 10, 2015
#namethattune Vine flashback: This one’s for Hillary :) http://t.co/1bmVLL4KUA
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) March 10, 2015
I cannot get enough of this. HAHAHAHAHA: http://t.co/igs7aG4odT
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 10, 2015
TWO WEEKS AGO “iPhone and a Blackberry” https://t.co/blm21gupH6
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 10, 2015
Really disappointed Hillary Clinton didn’t just say “At this point, what difference does it make?”
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) March 10, 2015
A moment of truth for the US media. Hillary Clinton destroyed emails on the only account she had for State Department business. What now?
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) March 10, 2015
.@HillaryClinton: “It is that government employee’s responsibility to determine what’s personal and what’s work related.” #KellyFile
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) March 10, 2015
Hillary Clinton is a serial liar, coached by her lawyers. Hillary for prison 2016.
— LATiffani (@LATiffani1) March 10, 2015
If you’ve liked The Obama administration’s level of transparency, then you’ll LOVE a Hillary Clinton Presidency. pic.twitter.com/UPSEeuvAL8
— Barney Franken (@BarneyFranken) March 10, 2015
.@wuerker‘s latest cartoon on Hillary Clinton’s email controversy: http://t.co/kLlVRz16lj pic.twitter.com/fa88m0bZAs
— POLITICO (@politico) March 10, 2015
With the help of @baseballcrank I have now tied Phil Hartman to the #HillaryPresser. pic.twitter.com/DESG6VqFGW
— Ben Howe (@BenHowe) March 10, 2015
Hillary Clinton on emails. #HillaryPresser pic.twitter.com/cJuRF3t6Gk
— Markeece Young (@YoungBLKRepub) March 10, 2015
“@AlexisinNH: Hillary just accused GOP of helping Iran #HillaryPresser” Sounds credible to me pic.twitter.com/cf5WpkYhSC
— Shaughn (@Shaughn_A) March 10, 2015
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