Clinton abandoned secure line to use home phone: US watchdog

Washington, May 13: A new batch of emails by US Democratic presidential front runner Hillary Clinton during her term as the Secretary of State shows she instructed a top aide to call her on her unsecured home phone when a secure line failed, a US watchdog has alleged.

The email exchange, dated February 22, 2009, was between Clinton and her then-Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills, as the two were attempting to talk over a secure phone line after Clinton had returned from a trip, conservative watchdog Judicial Watch reported.

"I called ops and they gave me your 'secure' cells, but only got a high-pitched whining sound," Clinton wrote. Mills told Clinton to try to secure line again, but Clinton wrote back, "I give up. Call me on my home #."

However, it cannot be determined from the emails whether Clinton and Mills ever did speak and, if they did, whether they discussed classified information over the home telephone line or if they made sure to avoid such topics.

In another email, five days later on February 27, 2009, Clinton apologised to health care activist Mark Hyman for failing to respond to a message because, "no blackberry contact permitted in my office". Judicial Watch said it obtained these documents in response to a court order from a May 5, 2015.

The new Clinton emails cover topics such as: the administration's Iran policy Obama's stimulus programme; the sharing of "management issues" with Maggie Williams, former campaign manager for Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign; confusion over voice mail versus text messages; image coaching from 2008 campaign advisor Doug Hattaway; and a thank you note from Hyman for "opening the door" for a Senate hearing on functional medicine as well email detailing incoming calls from China and Russia.

The new Clinton documents also include a censored email that shows Clinton and Mills were contacted by Maria Haley, a longtime Clinton aide (since deceased) who was implicated in the Chinagate scandal, Judicial Watch alleged.

"This drip, drip of new Clinton emails show Hillary Clinton could not care less about the security of her communications," said Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton. "How many other smoking gun emails are Hillary Clinton and her co-conspirators in the Obama administration hiding from the American people?" he said.

PTI