WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Archivist David Ferriero of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Thursday to request email communication between former Secretary Clinton and President Obama.
Based on a communication from FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok to FBI Director James Comey’s Chief of Staff James Rybicki, there appears to be multiple emails that exist between Secretary Clinton and President Obama. On June 28, 2016, a week before former FBI Director Comey’s public statement exonerating Secretary Clinton, FBI Special Agent Strzok wrote, “Jim – I have the POTUS – HRC emails [Director Comey] requested at end of briefing yesterday. I hesitate to leave them, please let me know a convenient time to drop them off.”
Today Senator Johnson wrote, “I write to request email communications between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Obama. In January 2018, I requested the Department of Justice (DOJ) produce emails Secretary Clinton sent to President Obama while she was located in the ‘territory of a sophisticated adversary.’
“Given that DOJ acknowledged that they ‘are not in a position’ to produce emails to the Committee that contain ‘equities of other executive branch entities,’ I ask that, pursuant to the Presidential Records Act, you please provide all email communications between Secretary Clinton and President Obama.”
Full text of the letter is below, and the letter can be viewed here.
October 31, 2019
The Honorable David S. Ferriero
Archivist of the United States
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20408
Dear Archivist Ferriero:
I write to request email communications between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Obama. In January 2018, I requested the Department of Justice (DOJ) produce emails Secretary Clinton sent to President Obama while she was located in the “territory of a sophisticated adversary.”[1] On April 11, 2018, DOJ responded, “[t]he referenced email is not a Department document and contains equities of other executive branch entities. We are not in a position to provide the email to you at this time.”[2]
During the FBI’s investigation of classified information on former Secretary Clinton’s private email server, the FBI possessed and reviewed emails sent and received between Secretary Clinton and President Obama. Specifically, on June 28, 2016, FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok communicated the following message to FBI Director James Comey’s Chief of Staff, James Rybicki:
Peter Strzok: “Jim – I have the POTUS – HRC emails D[3] requested at end of briefing yesterday. I hesitate to leave them, please let me know a convenient time to drop them off”[4]
Based on this communication, it appears that multiple emails exist between Secretary Clinton and President Obama. Given that DOJ acknowledged that they “are not in a position” to produce emails to the Committee that contain “equities of other executive branch entities,” I ask that, pursuant to the Presidential Records Act, you please provide all email communications between Secretary Clinton and President Obama.
Please provide these documents as soon as possible but no later than 5:00 p.m. on November 14, 2019.
The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized by Rule XXV of the Standing Rules of the Senate to investigate “the efficiency, economy, and effectiveness of all agencies and departments of the Government.”[5] Additionally, Senate Resolution 70 (116th Congress) authorizes the Committee to examine “the efficiency and economy of operations of all branches of the Government[.]”[6]
If you have any questions about this request, please ask your staff to contact Brian Downey or Scott Wittmann of the Committee staff at (202) 224-4751. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Ron Johnson
Chairman
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