Clinton Email Server Jeopardized National Security

In a speech on the Senate floor today, I addressed President Obama’s recent remarks about the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server, and reiterated my call for a special counsel to oversee the case. 

I wanted to turn to a topic that has concerned me a lot over the last year and troubles me more each day, and that is the use by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of an unsecured private email server while serving as our nation's top diplomat.

As many of our nation's top security experts will tell you, it's likely that our adversaries had easy access to and monitored Secretary Clinton's unsecured server, as well as the sensitive communications that were contained on it.

All of this should concern all of us, and I'm not just talking about the political ramifications.

This is not a trivial matter. We need to treat this seriously, and the facts must be pursued in a thorough, impartial investigation.

Given the unprecedented nature of this case and the unavoidable conflicts of interest, I strongly believe that there is no other appropriate action for Attorney General Loretta Lynch to take than to appoint a special counsel in this case.

The American people were reminded of the need for a special counsel just last weekend when, once again, President Obama opined publicly about the investigation. In an interview on Sunday, President Obama dismissed the email scandal by splitting hairs about how the government classifies information.

We know that some of Secretary Clinton's emails were classified even beyond Confidential to the Secret and Top Secret/Special Access Program levels, some of the highest levels of classification.

To dismissively talk about the different levels of classification is not only wrong but, frankly, it's insulting to Americans who work tirelessly on a daily basis to protect our national security, and in particular, those who go to great lengths to properly and carefully handle classified information, even when it isn't particularly convenient.

Time and time again, the White House has projected its desired outcome in this investigation to the public and, worse, to those people conducting it. As I said, it's completely inappropriate.

The responsible thing for the President to do would be to say nothing, particularly if he knows nothing about the content of an ongoing criminal investigation. And I wish the President would take advice from his lawyer, the Attorney General of the United States, and would respect her prerogative as the nation's chief law enforcement officer and the reputation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

At the very least, I hope the President quits talking about a subject he knows nothing about, which is what the investigation is revealing, and let the Justice Department do its job without feeling the pressure that, apparently, the White House is tempted to impose on the FBI and the Department of Justice.