New State Department documents suggest officials in the agency’s technology office were confused as to why a political appointee, Bryan Pagliano, was being placed in their office by State leadership.
Pagliano had served on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign since 2006, according to a copy of his resume included among the documents. Clinton’s staff worked with Patrick Kennedy, undersecretary for management, to have Pagliano assigned to the State Department’s IT office through political channels.
On his resume, Pagliano noted that he had managed “discrete projects” for Clinton. Investigators later discovered the former Clinton aide set up and operated a private server through which she routed all government communications.
The documents, obtained by Judicial Watch through the Freedom of Information Act, came one day after the State Department denied having any emails sent to or by Pagliano despite the fact that he was employed at the agency for four years.
Pagliano has reportedly accepted an immunity deal with the FBI in exchange for information about the server as the bureau investigates whether classified information was placed in jeopardy during Clinton’s tenure.
Other Clinton aides, including former deputy chief of staff Huma Abedin, have reportedly submitted to questioning in recent weeks as investigators work to wrap up their months-long probe of Clinton’s server.
A State Department official said it is “standard for incoming administrations to bring in political appointees for a variety of roles, based on their relevant skill sets,” and noted the undersecretary for management is often involved in the placement of appointees at Pagliano’s level.