Hillary Clinton has dramatically changed her tune, from defensive to apologetic, in response to questions about her use of a private email server while secretary of state.
Clinton admitted she made a mistake for the first time in an exclusive interview with ABC News on Tuesday.
“Even though it was allowed, I should have used two accounts. One for personal, one for work-related emails,” Clinton said. ”That was a mistake. I’m sorry about that. I take responsibility.”
The apology came just one day after Clinton told the Associated Press that she would not apologize because “what I did was allowed.”
Clinton also sent an apology email to supporters, and posted on her Facebook page.
She insisted the use of her personal email was “aboveboard and allowed under the State Department’s rules.” She also maintains that nothing she ever sent or received was “marked classified at the time.”
The apology still marked a significant difference in tone from a few weeks ago, when she sarcastically asked a reporter whether she could wipe her email server ‘with a cloth, or something.’
Clinton agreed to turn over her email server to the Justice Department in August, after months of resistance.
Some suspected the change in tone is a response to sliding poll numbers and news that people find her untrustworthy.
“The only thing Hillary Clinton regrets is that she got caught and is dropping in the polls, not the fact her secret email server left classified information exposed to the Russians and Chinese,” RNC National Press Secretary Allison Moore said in a statement. “Hillary Clinton’s reckless attempt to skirt government transparency laws put our national security at risk and shows she cannot be trusted in the White House.”
