Hillary Clinton could have been fired and stripped of her security clearance for mishandling classified information if she had been an employee of the FBI, bureau director James Comey said Thursday.
Dir. Comey: if an FBI employee were to handle classified docs like Clinton, they could be fired, suspended, reprimanded, lose clearance
— Nick Emmons (@emmonsnick) July 7, 2016
In testimony before Congress following his announcement that the FBI would not pursue charges against the former secretary of state for mishandling classified information on an unauthorized private email server, Comey said Clinton would face serious non-legal consequences for her actions if she had been employed at his agency.
Comey previously described Clinton’s handling of classified information over her email server as “extremely careless.” On Thursday, he told members of Congress that Clinton’s private email system was less secure than Gmail.
Comey testifies that Hillary's e-mail server was less secure than Gmail
— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) July 7, 2016
Experts believe Clinton’s email system was likely hacked by foreign adversaries. In the past, less prominent individuals not named Hillary Clinton have faced significant legal consequences for mishandling classified material.
It remains to be seen if Clinton or her top aides will face any non-legal punishment for their careless behavior. The FBI’s findings could complicate, for example, top Clinton aides’ efforts to obtain security clearance in the event that she is elected president.
Email Case May Complicate Clinton Aides’ Pursuit of Security Clearance https://t.co/4z1rdussbq
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 7, 2016
Earlier today, House Speaker Paul Ryan formerly requested that the U.S. intelligence community refrain from giving Clinton classified intelligence briefings in order to “reassure the public that our nation’s secrets are secure.”
BREAKING: I formally asked the Director of National Intelligence to deny Sec. Clinton access to classified info. pic.twitter.com/Kk8t00cdJn
— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) July 7, 2016
Comey also suggested during his testimony that Hillary might not have been “sophisticated enough” to understand how to properly handle classified information.
Comey again questions whether Clinton was "sophisticated enough" in understanding classified markings on emails
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) July 7, 2016
Hillary Clinton is trying to become the next president of the United States.
