Top aide says Hillary Clinton's team didn't foresee political fallout from private emails


For about seven hours last Friday, Cheryl Mills testified under oath in a deposition by conservative group Judicial Watch on the use of a private email server by Hillary Clinton, whom Mills served as chief of staff while Clinton was secretary of state. In the transcript of the deposition, released Tuesday, Mills says that Clinton's advisers didn't give much thought to Clinton's use of a private email account at the State Department, a decision that has dogged Clinton's presidential campaign. "Certainly from my standpoint, I wish that had been something we thought about," Mills said.
Mills, the first of Clinton's close advisers to testify under oath about the emails, said Clinton never considered using a government email account, just as she hadn't used one in the Senate. The decision was "absolutely not" about evading Freedom of Information Act requests, Mills said, noting that any emails that Clinton sent to State Department employees would be "captured" and saved. She said that she did not recall any specific conversations about preserving Clinton's emails or making sure they complied with the public-records law. If anyone raised concerns, she said, "I'm not aware of it. They might have." Mills said several times she wished she and other Clinton advisers had thought more about the private email issue. You can read selections from the transcripts at The New York Times.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Can Trump put his tariffs on stronger legal footing?
Today's Big Question Appeals court says 'emergency' tariffs are improper
-
Film reviews: The Roses, Splitsville, and Twinless
Feature A happy union devolves into domestic warfare, a couple's open marriage reaps chaos, and an unlikely friendship takes surprising turns
-
Thought-provoking podcasts you may have missed this summer
The Week Recommends Check out a true crime binger, a deep-dive into history and more
-
US kills 11 on 'drug-carrying boat' off Venezuela
Speed Read Trump claimed those killed in the strike were 'positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists' shipping drugs to the US
-
Trump vows to send federal forces to Chicago, Baltimore
Speed Read The announcement followed a California judge ruling that Trump's LA troop deployment was illegal
-
Trump crypto token launch earns family billions
Speed Read The World Liberty Financial token is now the Trump family's 'most valuable asset'
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revolt
Speed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich thrower
Speed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodus
Speed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official says
Speed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges