President Obama’s closest advisor and “right-hand woman” signaled Friday that the White House is not interested in defending Hillary Clinton’s use of a private and possibly compromised email account throughout her tenure as secretary of state.
During an interview with Bloomberg News’ Erik Schatzker, White House aide Valerie Jarrett denied ever having received an email from Clinton during the four years she led the State Department.
“We need to ask about State Department email policy. I have to imagine that while Hillary Clinton was the Secretary of State, you received e-mails from her —” he started.
Jarrett, a close Obama confidant and longtime family friend from the president’s days in Chicago, interrupted to say that she never received an email from Clinton when the former first lady worked at the State Department.
“Did members of the administration receive emails from Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state?” Schatzker pressed.
“That I do not know,” replied Jarrett, who is reportedly very hands-on in helping the president run his administration. “I do know that, obviously, the president has a very firm policy that emails should be kept on government systems. He believes in transparency and the State Department is currently working with the national archives to make sure that all of Secretary Clinton’s emails are captured.”
Bloomberg’s Stephanie Ruhle interjected: “Does that mean [Clinton] broke the policy?”
“I defer totally to the State Department for that,” Jarrett said. “We establish the policy, but then we leave it up to every single agency to determine how to adhere to that policy.”
The president’s longtime aide then declined to answer whether the White House would fire an employee for engaging in the type of behavior that has bogged Clinton down this week in scandal and criticism.
(H/T: WFB)
