Former Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz called on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to “personally get involved” with the State Department’s review of mishandled classified information associated with Hillary Clinton’s private email server.
In a letter revealed Tuesday, a top State Department official said the agency has so far found 30 security incidents.
Chaffetz, a former chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said the number appeared “exceptionally low” after a yearslong investigation.
“I love Mike Pompeo as the secretary of state. I have the greatest respect for him, he’s got his very full plate, but he has to personally get involved with this. Some people should be fired, they should lose their security clearances and they should be in jail,” Chaffetz, according to Fox News. Chaffetz is a contributor for the news channel.
The review found 23 “violations” and seven “infractions” by 15 individuals, according to Mary Elizabeth Taylor, the assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs. Some of them “were culpable in multiple security incidents.”
Taylor sent a letter to Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who is leading the congressional oversight of the security review. She said the agency considers any violation of security policies to be a “serious matter.”
The review caught the attention of President Trump, calling the findings a “really big” deal and challenging the Democrats to investigate at a time when they are engaged in a variety of inquiries into the president and his inner circle.
Wow! The State Department said it has identified 30 Security Incidents involving current or former employees and their handling of Crooked Hillary Clinton’s Emails. @FoxNews This is really big. Never admitted before. Highly Classified Material. Will the Dems investigate this?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2019
The individuals under scrutiny were not identified, nor was it revealed if they were still employed at the State Department, per agency policy. The inquiry is ongoing, and Taylor said the number of people found culpable could increase.
Taylor said the violations of infractions by individuals still employed by the State Department were referred to the Bureau of Human Resources. A “broad range” of disciplinary or administrative actions that could be taken include “counseling, reprimand, suspension, and/or separation,” Taylor wrote.
Taylor said the agency is “making every effort to complete its review and adjudication” by Sept. 1.
