The State Department on Wednesday dodged questions about why it’s trying to limit the scope of questions that can be asked of former aides to Hillary Clinton in the ongoing email probe, and instead cited legal reasons for why it can’t answer.
State Department lawyers asked a federal judge on Tuesday to limit the extent to which Clinton and her aides can be questioned. That request came in reaction to a suit filed by Judicial Watch, a conservative legal organization seeking to question eight top Clinton aides, including Huma Abedin and Cheryl Mills.
When asked why State was taking that position, however, spokesman Mark Toner said he wasn’t allowed to answer.
“We did submit a filing with the court last night on this matter,” Toner said. “But I cannot comment on the content of that court filing, because this is something that is a matter of ongoing litigation.”
Some asked if State even has standing to get involved in this case, given that Clinton is a former employee.
“I can’t speak specifically on this matter. I can say that the department is engaged in any given year in litigation before federal courts,” Toner said.
