Bryan Pagliano, the former State Department computer staffer who has been granted immunity by the Justice Department in the Clinton email probe, has reportedly given the FBI details on how Clinton’s private email server was set up, including who had access to the system.
Fox News, citing an intelligence source, reported that Pagliano, who set Clinton’s server up in her New York home in 2009, has also told FBI investigators when these individuals had access to the former secretary of state’s system and what devices they used. The former staffer also offered details that allowed investigators to connect emails with other evidence, which could help them determine possible gaps in Clinton’s email record.
"Bryan Pagliano is a devastating witness and, as the webmaster, knows exactly who had access to [Clinton’s] computer and devices at specific times. His importance to this case cannot be over-emphasized," the source was quoted as saying.
The latest revelations come about a week after it was reported that Pagliano received immunity from the Justice Department and was cooperating with the FBI, months after he pled the Fifth Amendment to avoid testifying before congressional lawmakers on Clinton’s server setup. Pagliano worked on Clinton’s failed 2008 presidential campaign and went on to work in the State Department’s IT department during her tenure as secretary of state.
Clinton’s presidential campaign has described the news about Pagliano as a positive development.
The FBI began investigating Clinton’s email setup after the intelligence community inspector general determined that at least two emails on her server contain top secret information. According to reports last week, the probe has become criminal in nature, though Clinton has described it as a "security review."
The State Department, which reviewed and released Clinton’s work-related emails under court order over a period of months, was forced to withhold 22 emails from release in January because they contain top secret information. The intelligence source told Fox News that the FBI is "extremely focused" on these emails. It is unclear whether the emails contain information that was classified when the messages originated on Clinton’s email.
In total, over 2,000 of Clinton’s emails--none of which were marked classified on her system--have been found to contain classified information. Clinton has defended herself by insisting that she never sent or received information marked classified, while critics have argued that she compromised national security by using unsecured email to conduct sensitive State Department business.
The controversy surrounding her email use has waged for a year, created problems for Clinton as she tries to secure the Democratic nomination for president. Polls have consistently shown that the American public does not view Clinton as trustworthy.