During Hillary Clinton’s time as secretary of state, she received multiple emails from Sidney Blumenthal.
Blumenthal’s emails were said to be unsolicited, but Clinton did forward a few of them to other employees in the State Department. A new report from Politico said the Clinton Foundation had paid Blumenthal $10,000 a month for providing unsolicited advice on Libya.
The Obama administration had barred Blumenthal from working at the State Department and it was later reported to have had a business interest in Libya at the time of the attacks on the Benghazi embassy.
On Friday, the State Department released declassified emails Clinton had turned over. Acting spokeswoman Marie Harf said that the department did not see any impropriety in Blumenthal sending her the emails.
During Thursday’s State Department press briefing, the AP’s Matt Lee asked if the department had an issue with the Clinton Foundation paying Blumenthal. Jeff Rathke, director of press relations, said the State Department did not have a response and told Lee to refer back to the Clinton Foundation.
Rathke repeatedly pointed out that Blumenthal was not a government employee and that it was not unusual for officials to hear from a variety of a outside voices.
Lee asked whether the State Department thought that he was being paid from the foundation for the intel that he was providing. Rathke said that he did not have an answer, and that Lee should reach out to the Clinton Foundation and Clinton about the relationship.