Federal Judge: Hillary Clinton Is Ordered to Answer Questions from Watchdog Group

U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan ruled on Wednesday that Hillary Clinton has 30-days to answer under oath additional questions about her personal email system being used for official business during the Obama years in the White House, according to a news release from One American News Network (OANN).

During her presidential campaign in 2016, Clinton was ordered to answer under oath written questions from the non-profit, non-partisan watchdog, Judicial Watch. The anti-corruption group has uncovered some of the biggest government scandals over the years including those involving former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, as well as their underlings.

Originally then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton balked over answering questions about the installation of her private email system in her home; her stubborn use of the system even after State Department cybersecurity officials warned her about its breach of security; and the basis for her claim that the State Department already possesses “90-95%” of the emails.from her private system.

After a lengthy hearing on Wednesday afternoon, Judge Sullivan ruled that Clinton must answer two questions that she refused to answer under-oath in a prior Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. According to OANN on Thursday, Judicial Watch’s president Tom Fitton will be given the opportunity to have one of the most opaque politicians in history answer these two important questions:

Number One: “Describe the creation of the clintonemail.com system, including who decided to create the system, the date it was decided to create the system, why it was created, who set it up, and when it became operational.”

Number Two: “During your October 22, 2015 appearance before the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Benghazi, you testified that 90 to 95 percent of your emails ‘were in the State’s system’ and ‘if they wanted to see them, they would certainly have been able to do so.’ Identify the basis for this statement, including all facts on which you relied in support of the statement, how and when you became aware of these facts, and, if you were made aware of these facts by or through another person, identify the person who made you aware of these facts.”

Judge Sullivan read his opinion from the bench, ruling that the question Clinton’s privately installed and maintained email system falls within the “scope of discovery.” Judge Sullivan rejected Clinton’s assertion of attorney-client privilege on the question about the emails “in the State’s system.”

Sullivan, 71, was originally appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on October 3, 1984. On November 25, 1991, Sullivan was appointed by President George H. W. Bush to serve as an Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

The court, however, refused Judicial Watch’s and the news media’s requests  to unseal the deposition videos of Huma Abedin, Cheryl Mills and other Clinton State Department minions, some of whom later worked on her presidential campaign. Also, it upheld Clinton’s objections to answering a question about “why she refused to stop using her Blackberry despite warnings from State Department security personnel.”

Justice Department lawyers for the State Department defended Clinton’s refusal to answer certain questions and argued for the continued secrecy of the deposition videos.

This hearing and court ruling is the latest development in a Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit about the controversial employment status of Huma Abedin, former deputy chief of staff to Clinton. The lawsuit, which seeks records regarding the authorization for Abedin to engage in outside employment while employed by the Department of State, was reopened because of revelations about the clintonemail.com system (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:13-cv-01363)). The court also granted discovery to Judicial Watch to help determine if and how Clinton’s email system thwarted FOIA.

“[Huma] Abedin was collecting salaries from two separate full-time jobs: a top State Department staffer and a position with the Clinton Foundation. But she never had to account for her hours per day working at either Clinton-connected organizations,” said former police detective Cheryl Issikov. “The whole thing stunk to high hell with the Clintons’ organized crime syndicate,” she added.

“A federal court ordered Hillary Clinton to answer more questions about her illicit email system – which is good news,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “It is shameful that Judicial Watch attorneys must continue to battle the State and Justice Departments, which still defend Hillary Clinton, for basic answers to our questions about Clinton’s email misconduct.”

Video credit: SSG. Douglas M. Ducote Sr. United States Army (Ret.) Veteran Law Enforcement CEO Veterans United For Justice Cohost Real World Witness