State Department IG preparing to probe Clinton email scandal

By Sarah Westwood, Sarah Westwood

Published December 20, 2015

Records from the State Department's office of inspector general reveal the agency watchdog has taken early steps toward investigating Hillary Clinton's use of a private email address and server during her time as secretary of state.

Steven Linick, State's inspector general since June 2013, signaled his office is making "preliminary" preparations for a larger probe of the policies that allowed Clinton to determine which of her official communications she wanted to withhold from the public, according to documents obtained by the nonpartisan watchdog group Cause of Action.

"In the past, when faced with employees who were using non-governmental email accounts for government business, the OIG questioned such activities," Linick wrote in response to a letter from Sen. Charles Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The Iowa Republican had written to Linick in March seeking answers about the communications and business activities of Clinton and her top aides that were then emerging in the media.