Fact Check: AP story misleading on Abedin’s email comments
A story by the Associated Press from today left the incredibly misleading impression that during a legal proceeding, an aide to Hillary Clinton said that Clinton didn’t want her emails related to State Department business accessible to “anybody.”
But the aide, Huma Abedin, repeatedly made clear that she was referring to Clinton’s PERSONAL emails:
Abedin: “I understand this to her not wanting her private – her private personal e-mails being accessible.” “Q: Okay. Do you know why Secretary Clinton didn’t want any risk of her personal e-mail being accessible? MR. BRILLE: Objection. MS. WOLVERTON: Objection. MR. BRILLE: Form and foundation. A: I — I understand this to her not wanting her private — her private personal e-mails being accessible.”
“A: I read that as any personal e-mails being accessible. Q: So individual e-mails on Secretary Clinton’s account. A: Yes.” “Q How do you read — when — how do you read the personal being accessible? Is that — do you read that as referring to Secretary Clinton’s personal account or an individual e-mail? MR. BRILLE: Objection to form. Asked and answered. A I — I — I read that as any personal e-mails being accessible.”
Other news outlets covering Abedin’s comments pointed out the obvious: Abedin was referring to Clinton’s desire to keep her PERSONAL emails private.
Bloomberg noted that Abedin testified that she was referring to personal non-government messages. “Abedin testified that ‘the personal’ referred to non-government messages Clinton was also exchanging via the e-mail address rather than any improper treatment of government records.”
The Hill noted that Abedin testified Clinton was “referring to nonofficial email messages unrelated to her duties on the job.” “During her deposition on Tuesday, Abedin told Judicial Watch lawyers that by ‘the personal,’ Clinton was referring to nonofficial email messages unrelated to her duties on the job. ‘I understand this to her not wanting her private — her private personal e-mails being accessible,’ she said. ‘I would imagine anybody who has personal e-mail doesn’t want that personal e-mail to be read by anybody else.’”
CNN: Abedin “repeatedly said it was Clinton protecting her personal emails from being read — and not about hiding government communications.” “‘Let’s get separate address or device but I don’t want any risk of the personal being accessible,’ Clinton wrote in reply to Abedin’s Nov. 13, 2010 suggestion that she use a government email account. Abedin was peppered with questions about Clinton’s, but she repeatedly said it was Clinton protecting her personal emails from being read — and not about hiding government communications. ‘Just like you wouldn’t — I would imagine anybody who has personal e-mail doesn’t want that personal e-mail to be read by anybody else… I read it the same way as she has written it,’ Abedin said.”
And, this distinction has been pointed out before:
Politico Headline: “Clinton expressed worries about exposure of personal emails at State Dept.”
And Abedin’s characterization is completely in line with what Hillary Clinton has said recently:
Clinton: “Well, nobody wants their personal emails made public. That is, I think, a very common, if not unanimous, feeling among people.”
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