FBI notes indicating that a senior government official tried to corrupt the review of Hillary Clinton’s private server do not qualify as “investigative work,” according to the State Department.
FBI summaries of interviews with witnesses, known as 302s, contain the allegation that Patrick Kennedy, the undersecretary of State for management, pressured FBI agents to obscure that fact that Clinton had classified information on her server by offering different reasons for withholding the email from public view. The notes suggest that Kennedy and a now-retired FBI official discussed a “quid pro quo” on another policy matter if Kennedy got his way regarding the email, but the deal was never struck.
“There was no bargain sought by Undersecretary Kennedy, there was no bargain suggested, and there was certainly no bargain enacted,” State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
Kirby stopped short of saying explicitly that he believes the notes are wrong, even thought the State Department has defended Kennedy by contradicting the FBI notes on a several key points pertaining to the email.
“Those 302s are just that, they’re notes from interviews,” he said. “They’re not facts, they’re not conclusions, they’re not investigative work. I can’t speak for the recollections of the individuals who were interviewed.”
