A top aide to Hillary Clinton is telling supporters that the Democratic presidential front-runner would have done things differently, if possible, after a scathing report over her use of a private email server while she was secretary of State.
Campaign chairman John Podesta sent the 600-word explanation over Memorial Day weekend, according to BuzzFeed.
{mosads}“Since last year, Secretary Clinton has said her use of a personal email server was a mistake,” he wrote in the message last Saturday.
“What she thought would be a convenient way to communicate with family, friends and colleagues – by using one email account for both her work related and personal emails – has turned out to be anything but convenient,” Podesta added.
“If she could go back, she’d do it differently. Had Secretary Clinton known of any concerns about her email setup at the time, she would have taken steps to address them. She believed she was following the practices of other secretaries and senior officials.”
An internal watchdog report determined last week that Clinton and her senior aides did not comply with State Department record-keeping practices.
The department’s Office of the Inspector General said Clinton circumvented policies designed to follow federal records laws by using a personal email address routed through a private server.
The Democratic presidential front-runner may also have jeopardized sensitive national intelligence with her technology habits, it added.
Podesta said in the memo that the presidential election’s outcome is too important to be overshadowed by the email controversy.
“While we understand the questions about Secretary Clinton’s email practices, we are confident that voters will look at the full picture of everything she has done throughout her career. We have faith in the American people. They know we have to be focused on solutions that will make a real difference in people’s lives.”