Hillary Clinton broke her silence, telling the press she would continue to talk with her old friends, whoever they might be.
For 28 days, Clinton refused to take questions from reporters and or hold any press conferences.
After a roundtable discussion in Iowa, Clinton unexpectedly answered five questions from the press.
One question was about Clinton’s relationship with long-time Clinton adviser Sidney Blumenthal.
"Can you explain your relationship as secretary of state with Sidney Blumenthal?" the reporter asked. "There's a report this morning you exchanged several emails. And should Americans expect that if you were elected president, would you have the same type of relationship with old friends?"
A New York Times report shows Clinton exchanged communication with Blumenthal and distributed his memos to other State Department officials when she served as secretary of state.
"We've been friends for a long time," Clinton said. "He sent me emails I passed on in some instances. That's part of the give and take."
The Obama administration barred Blumenthal from a job at the State Department, but Blumenthal still managed to send at least 25 memos about Libya in which he expressed interest in several business ventures. During this time, the Clinton Foundation employed Blumenthal to help with "message guidance."
Blumenthal also worked for Media Matters and American Bridge, two Democratic organizations that assisted with Clinton’s 2016 campaign.
"When in the public eye and public position, you have to make sure you don't hear from a small group of people. I'm going to keep talking to my old friends whoever they are," Clinton said.
Here is a list of some of Clinton’s friends.