Rep. Trey Gowdy’s (R., SC) questions to FBI Director James Comey during a House Oversight Committee hearing on Thursday appeared to undermine Hillary Clinton’s public defense of her use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state.
REP. JASON CHAFFETZ: We’ll now recognize the gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Gowdy, for five minutes.
REP. TREY GOWDY: Good morning Director Comey. Secretary Clinton said she never sent or received any classified information over her private email. Was that true?
JAMES COMEY: Our investigation found that there was classified information sent --
GOWDY: So it was not true?
COMEY: That’s what I said.
GOWDY: Okay, well I’m looking for a little shorter answer so you and I are not here quite as long. Secretary Clinton said there was nothing marked classified on her emails either sent or received. Was that true?
COMEY: That’s not true. There were a small number of portion markings on, I think, three of the documents.
GOWDY: Secretary Clinton said I did not email any classified material to anyone on my email, there is no classified material. Was that true?
COMEY: There was classified material emailed.
GOWDY: Secretary Clinton said she used just one device. Was that true?
COMEY: She used multiple devices during the four years of her term of secretary of state.
GOWDY: Secretary Clinton said all work related emails were returned to the State Department. Was that true?
COMEY: No, we found work related emails, thousands, that were not returned.
GOWDY: Secretary Clinton said neither she nor anyone else deleted work related emails from her personal account. Was that true?
COMEY: That’s a harder one to answer. We found traces of work-related emails in, on devices or slack space. Whether they were deleted or whether when a server was changed out something happened to them. There’s no doubt that there were work-related emails that were removed electronically from the email system.
GOWDY: Secretary Clinton said her lawyers read every one of the emails and were overly inclusive. Did her lawyers read the email content individually?
COMEY: No.