A State official offered FBI 'quid pro quo' to change an email classification during Clinton probe


Newly released FBI 302 forms summarizing the Hillary Clinton email investigation reveal the State Department undersecretary of state attempted to persuade the FBI to change certain emails in Clinton's private email server from classified to unclassified in the middle of the investigation into the former secretary of state's email usage. The form states that an unnamed individual was "contacted by Patrick Kennedy, undersecretary of state, who asked for his assistance in altering the email's classification in exchange for a 'quid pro quo.'" The unnamed individual "advised that, in exchange for making the email unclassified, [the State Department] would reciprocate by allowing the FBI to place more agents in countries where they are presently forbidden."
The 302 form further reveals that Kennedy later asked again if the FBI could "see their way to making the email unclassified." "The FBI said in a statement that no quid pro quo took place, and that the email in question remained classified at the 'secret' level," the Washington Examiner reports. "Still, the findings are the latest sign that the State Department was coordinating with the Clinton campaign to downplay the impact of the classified information found on Clinton's emails."
You can read the form below. Jeva Lange
Subscribe to 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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Trump hits Africa, Middle East with new travel ban
Speed Read The travel ban bars visitors from 12 countries and restricts entry from seven
-
Elon Musk slams Trump's 'pork-filled' signature bill
speed read 'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong,' Musk posted on X
-
Depleted FEMA struggling as hurricane season begins
speed read FEMA has lost a third of its workforce amid DOGE cuts enforced by President Donald Trump
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge