It's not like the State Department needed another email fiasco on its hands, what with the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private server to send emails as secretary of state. And yet, another one years in the making may have just arrived.
Gawker published a report chronicling the outlet's request for records from the State Department in 2013. Under a Freedom of Information Act request, Gawker wanted copies of emails exchanged between reporters at 33 news organizations and Philippe Reines, a former Clinton adviser. The department claimed "no records responsive to your request were located," a curious assertion given the fact that such emails have been made public.
When Gawker couldn't get ahold of the email records, it filed a lawsuit against the department. Lo and behold, when the lawyers for the attorney general had to submit a court-ordered status report to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Aug. 13, some potentially relevant emails turned up — 17,855 of them, to be exact. The State Department is set to hand over the first batch of emails Sept. 30.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The struggles of Aston MartinIn the Spotlight The car manufacturer, famous for its association with the James Bond franchise, is ‘running out of road’
-
The end of ‘golden ticket’ asylum rightsThe Explainer Refugees lose automatic right to bring family over and must ‘earn’ indefinite right to remain
-
Grecotel Luxme Dama Dama: Greek luxury with a breezy beach vibeThe Week Recommends Rhodes is reimagined in this refined and relaxed resort
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
