A computer server that transmitted and received Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s official e-mails has been traced back to a residential Internet service registered to her home in Chappaqua, N.Y., according to an AP report.
The practice is highly unusual for a high-ranking government official.
The story first broke earlier this week, when the New York Times reported that Clinton, during her time at the State Department from 2009 to 2013, did not have a government email account, and used only a personal account to conduct her business, which may be a violation of federal rules regarding agency records. This new wrinkle may make the scandal worse for Clinton, thought to be considering a 2016 presidential run.
According to records reviewed by the AP, the server operating Clinton’s private email account was a family Internet service; it is unclear which service in particular.
A spokesperson for Clinton told the Times this week that “the letter and spirit” of relevant federal rules permitted her email practices, and that she emailed fellow officials “on their department accounts, with every expectation they would be retained.” But politicians and pundits are suggesting that her use of private email for government business was unprofessional.
RNC spokesperson Michael Short, for example, said the news “raises serious questions” and asked, “What was Hillary Clinton trying to hide?” Jeb Bush, also a likely 2016 presidential candidate, tweeted on Monday, “Transparency matters. Unclassified Hillary Clinton emails should be released.”
Fortune has requested comment from Clinton on this latest development. For more on this story, read Tory Newmyer’s article Hillary Clinton’s email arrangement is looking even stranger.