Flashback - Hillary Clinton's Email Problems Reminiscent of 'Richard Windsor'

Flashback - Hillary Clinton's Email Problems Reminiscent of 'Richard Windsor'

United States Senate

March 3, 2015 FLASHBACK: Hillary Clinton’s Email Problems Reminiscent of “Richard Windsor”

“Richard Windsor” was former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson’s secret email alias

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

(Washington, DC) – Today, Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) made the following statement regarding recent reports alleging that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton used a private email account to conduct official business during her tenure with the State Department, which would violate the Federal Records Act. Vitter was the driving force behind the investigation that helped uncover the extent to which former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson’s utilized a secret email account under the alias “Richard Windsor.”

“At this point, President Obama’s claim of leading ‘the most transparent Administration in history’ is certainly laughable – especially now that we know two previous members of his Cabinet – EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton – went out of their way to hide their emails from federal records laws and the American public,” said Vitter. “It should go without saying that the President’s very top officials should not be leading efforts to avoid transparency laws in order to avoid oversight and accountability – including Freedom of Information Act requests.”

As the immediate past top Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Vitter investigated inappropriate record-keeping practices within the Obama Administration, stemming from concerns over former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson’s email alias “Richard Windsor.” During the nomination process for Gina McCarthy to become EPA Administrator, Vitter and the EPW Republicans made five transparency requests, one of which was for the EPA to issue a new guidance to ensure that all official business is conducted solely on official government email accounts and that the Agency would respond in full to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and Congressional inquiries. Click here to read more.

In September 2013, EPW Republicans released a comprehensive report entitled, "A Call for Sunshine: EPA's FOIA and Federal Records Failures Uncovered," which provides a detailed accounting of EPA's inappropriate email practices. Click here to read more.

Earlier this week, a federal judge said the EPA does not "respect" requests made under FOIA, and the Agency has been "offensively unapologetic" particularly pursuant to the “Richard Windsor” emails. Click here to read more.