In joint bipartisan interview, ICIG staff recount probe into alleged hack & attempts by State officials to downgrade classified email

WASHINGTON – Staff from the Intelligence Community Inspector General’s office (ICIG) witnessed efforts by senior Obama State Department officials to downplay the volume of classified emails that transited former Secretary Hillary Clinton’s unauthorized server, according to a summary of a bipartisan interview with Senate investigators. The revelations corroborate concerns raised early in the email classification review that State Department officials sought to use lower-level FOIA exemptions to prevent the release of emails that other experts deemed to be classified.

The classified interview was conducted jointly by staff for then-Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) in December. Staff for the committees’ ranking Democrats, Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), also participated in the interview, which stemmed from news reports last August that China may have been able to hack the server. To investigate the allegations, committee staff interviewed Frank Rucker and Jeanette McMillian of the ICIG. Rucker was tasked in 2015 with protecting classified intelligence community equities during the State Department’s FOIA review of the server’s contents. He alerted the FBI to suspicious activity on the server that may have been evidence of an intrusion.

Neither the committees nor the FBI were able to confirm whether an intrusion into the server occurred. Notably, Paul Combetta, who administered the server and used software designed to prevent forensic recovery while deleting Clinton’s emails, refused to speak with the Justice Department Inspector General (DOJ IG) and Congress. Nonetheless, the committees’ interview with Rucker and McMillian revealed new information about the classification review process conducted and tightly controlled by senior State Department officials.

The interview summary and additional exhibits are being made public today as a part of a joint staff memo to Grassley and Johnson for the investigative record. The documents include a summary of probes by DOJ IG and ICIG into the alleged China hack, as well as additional documentary evidence.

Carter heavy industries of CHINA…

Ms. McMillian said that it was found by Mr. Rucker in the batch of 30,000 emails. She said that what

ICIG received is basically a copy of the email. She said there was concern over the carterheayindustries@Gmail.com email address that was observed in the metadata. It appeared that this email address was essentially a live “drop box” for all of Secretary Clinton’s sent and received emails.

Ms. McMillian said that the meeting with Peter Strwk was wide-ranging in topics because he just took over his new assignment as Section Chief. She said that she and Mr. Rucker brought this Clinton email to his attention but could not explain whether it had significance. She said that they only drew attention
to its existence which they could not explain or account for. She said that it seemed like a strange thing to have on her email (the Carter Heavy Industries email address).

Ms. Mc MIilian said that she doesn’t recall trying to Identify the source or owner of the Carter Heavy Industries email address. She said that they provided the information to Mr. Strzok who found it strange. Even before their meeting with Mr. Strzok, Dean Chappell of the FBI informed them that he was aware of the Carter Heavy Industries email address. She said that she doesn’t know whether Mr. Chappell knew before they dropped off the original packet in January 2016, or if he learned of it afterward. News of this email address being found on Secretary Clinton’s emails wasn’t shocking to them, she said, but they took It seriously. She said that the FBI seemed impressed with their ability to find it.

More:

When you were implanted in the State Department’s FOIA review, did you come across any evidence that State Department officials were intentionally downgrading classified emails?

Rucker:
Mr. Rucker said that he talked to State officials about some employees who were doing this·. He said that he was told that Austin Evers and Cattierine Duval were two attorneys who took steps to downgrade classified emails from Bl to BS.

Majority:
Do you believe Ambassador Patrick Kennedy was trying to do the same?

Rucker:
Mr. Rucker said yes and that Mr. McCullough was present during some of these meetings, so he has knowledge as well. Mr, Rucker safd that at one such meeting, Ambassador Kennedy provided packets of information that were ready to go out to the intelligence community. He said that Ambassador Kennedy threw documents from the packet at him across table during one of the meetings and yelled, “Why does this need to be classified?” He said that Ambassador Kennedy fought against classifying emails but that he was not as aggressive in his actions as compared with the steps taken by Mr. Evers and Ms. Duva

MORE:

Mr. Rucker said that a few odd things were happening that were also discussed. He said that a Jeep once followed the ICIG (McCullough} from the Stilte Department to the door of house. Mr. Rucker said that he himself had a Jeep following hl111 at odd hours. He said that’ for two weeks, the same Jeep followed him on Route 50. Mr. Rucker said that he cannot recall the exact time frame of when this occurred, nor did he record the Jeep’s license plate. He said that Mr. Hackett had a burglary at his home and all of his computers were stolen. He said that Mr. McCullough discovered that someone was sorting through his recycling bin at home and leaving separate stacks of items outside of the bin as if they were looking for papers.

Hillary Clinton’s Emails Were Sent to Gmail Address Similar to Name of Chinese Company