Hillary Clinton email controversy facts for kids

The Hillary Clinton email controversy was a big discussion about Hillary Clinton using a private email server for her work emails. This happened when she was the United States Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013. Some of these emails contained important US Government information, including some that were supposed to be kept very private. The controversy started in March 2015 and became a major topic during her campaign for President of the United States in 2016.

What Was the Email Controversy About?

The main issue was that Hillary Clinton used a private email server instead of the official government email system. This server was located at her home. Government officials are usually expected to use secure government systems for their work. This is especially true for sensitive information.

Why Did This Happen?

Hillary Clinton said she used a private server for convenience. She wanted to use one device for both work and personal emails. However, government rules say that official communications should be kept on government systems. This helps keep important information safe and organized.

What Are Classified Emails?

"Classified" means information that is secret and protected by the government. There are different levels of classified information, like Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret. This information is kept private to protect national security. It's very important that these emails are handled on secure systems.

When Did People Find Out?

The public learned about the private email server in March 2015. This was after news reports revealed her use of it. The discovery led to many questions and investigations. People wanted to know if important information had been put at risk.

What Was the Big Deal?

The main concern was about the security of the information. A private server might not have the same strong security as government systems. This could make it easier for hackers to access sensitive emails. Another concern was about keeping official records. Government emails are public records. Using a private server made it harder to ensure all records were properly saved.

What Happened Next?

Several investigations took place to understand the situation better. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) looked into the matter. They wanted to see if any laws were broken or if information was mishandled. While they found that some classified information was on the server, they did not recommend charges. The controversy continued to be a big topic during the 2016 presidential election.

Images for kids

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  Hillary Clinton holding a BlackBerry phone in 2009

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  A screenshot of the default Outlook Web App login page that is displayed when navigating to Clinton's email service

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  Hillary Clinton's public hearing before the House Select Committee on Benghazi

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  Huma Abedin passing a note to Hillary Clinton