Grassley Raises Concerns about Handling of Classified Material

Press Release

Senator Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is raising concerns with the executive branch's handling of classified information that is known to be out of the control of the federal government.

"It's a serious breach of national security if the United States government fails to secure classified material in the hands of people not authorized to possess it, no matter who they are. There are fundamental questions as to what the FBI is doing to securing these classified emails and why the State Department is not fully cooperating with the inspectors general at the State Department and the Intelligence Community to ensure that all of the appropriate emails are identified," Grassley said. "It's important to make sure that politics aren't taking precedence over national security."

In a letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Grassley asked Director James Comey to explain what the Bureau is doing to ensure that classified information within 30,000 Clinton emails known to be on a thumb drive of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's personal attorney, David Kendall, is secured and not further disseminated.

Grassley subsequently sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry asking why the agency isn't providing the State Department and Intelligence Community inspectors general with full access to the 30,000 Clinton emails. In the letter Grassley wrote that, "The State Department's refusal to fully cooperate in this matter is extremely troubling given the risk that national security information is not being adequately protected."

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