A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the State Department to hand over hundreds of documents by next Monday related to Hillary Clinton’s participation in required or recommended security training during her tenure as secretary of state.
Judge Richard Leon rejected the State Department’s motion to dismiss a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by the Daily Caller News Foundation seeking to confirm that Clinton and her top aides underwent mandatory annual security briefings regarding the proper handling of classified materials and best practices to ensure secure communications.
The State Department has so far refused to produce such records and concluded in July that the delay meant the "courses were not completed" by Clinton or her aides, including former chief of staff Cheryl Mills and deputy chief of staff Huma Abedin.
Leon ordered the department to release a third of the 400 documents requested by Sept. 26, while the rest must be handed over by Oct. 10.
Bradley Moss, an attorney representing the Daily Caller News Foundation, said Leon’s order demonstrated his "frustration" with the agency’s "obstruction" of the FOIA process.
"State will either meet his deadline or face the consequences of failure," he said.
Leon demanded during a hearing in August that the department release the documents before the election given the "time sensitivity" of the issue.
FBI Director James Comey faulted Clinton in July for being "extremely careless" with her handling of classified information on a private email server while she served at the State Department. Comey ultimately decided against recommending charges for Clinton.