Ex-Hillary Aide Who Set Up Private Server to Plead the Fifth Before Congress
As Hillary Clinton continues to face questions and controversy surrounding her email scandal, one former aide stated last night that he intends to invoke his Fifth Amendment right to avoid a subpoena from several congressional committees leading the investigation.
Bryan Pagliano worked for Clinton during her 2008 presidential run, and also as an adviser and special projects manager for the State Department. Digital records have indicated that Pagliano set up Clinton’s private server in 2009, which has drawn intense scrutiny regarding whether Clinton’s use of it has endangered classified government information.
The House Select Committee on Benghazi sent the subpoena to the IT specialist about a month ago. According to The Washington Post, his lawyers, without giving a reason for his decision, said that he would invoke his right to not answer questions on the grounds that it might incriminate him.
“While we understand that Mr. Pagliano’s response to this subpoena may be controversial in the current political environment, we hope that the members of the Select Committee will respect our client’s right,” said attorney Mark MacDougall in a letter reported by NBC.
No evidence has surfaced yet that Pagliano had any direct connection to the classified information discovered on Clinton’s server. The Daily Mail reported however, that he received taxpayer funds for his work.
The New York Times reported that a Clinton campaign aide said that his decision was “both understandable and disappointing to us, because we believe he has every reason to be transparent about his I.T. assistance.”
Clinton Press Secretary Brian Fallon was grilled by Brianna Keiler earlier today, where he said that since Pagliano no longer worked for Clinton, he could not be compelled to answer any questions.
“He’s a private citizen. And so we can’t require him to do anything,” Fallon said. “He’s represented by his own lawyer. All we can do is give the same advice and recommendation and encouragement as Hillary Clinton has done with all of her aides, current and former.”
[h/t Fox News]
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