Ron Fournier, appearing on Morning Joe on Thursday, explained that Hillary Clinton used a private server while Secretary of State to protect the "circle of enrichment" surrounding the Clinton Foundation.
Joe Scarborough led off Fournier's appearance by referencing a column Fournier wrote back in 2015 in which he quoted an anonymous Clinton source who had suggested to Fournier that he "follow the money" from the Clinton Foundation.
"The reason she had a secret server," Fournier said referencing Secretary Clinton. "Because the circle of enrichment, the phrase that the Washington Post pulled up today, that was clear even then. There were already some connections between Doug Band and shaking down donors at the time, and this person was saying this is really about the Foundation."
The Washington Post published a story late Wednesday night which provided an in-depth look at the Clinton Foundation and Teneo, a consulting group started by former Clinton aide Band. Based off a leaked memo from Wikileaks, the story details how "Teneo partners had raised in excess of $8 million for the foundation and $3 million in paid speaking fees for Bill Clinton."
Fournier wrote numerous critical columns after it became public that Clinton used a private server. In many of these columns, he called for Clinton to turn over all of her emails and become more transparent as to why she insisted on using as a private server as Secretary of State. In his appearance on Morning Joe, Fournier noted some leaked emails show Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta expressing concern over the political implications of Clinton's private email server.
"It was those kind of people who knew what they were doing," Fournier said in regards to Podesta, "undermining the public's trust in government, which is important to Democrats, and was awfully close to quid pro quo and at least undermined her political and moral authority to take on Republicans."