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6 White House advisers used private emails. Heres why it matters
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A new report from The New York Times says that at least six White House advisers used private emails to discuss White House matters. - photo by Herb Scribner
A new report from The New York Times says that at least six White House advisers used private emails to discuss White House matters.

Those six people include:

  • Ivanka Trump, the presidents daughter, who used email as an unpaid adviser to the White House.

  • Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump.

  • Stephen Bannon, the former White House strategist.

  • Reince Priebus, former White House chief of staff.

  • Gary Cohn, an economic adviser to Trump.

  • Stephen Miller, a policy and political adviser.
White House response: Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders offered a statement after she was asked questions about emails, CBS News reported.

All White House personnel have been instructed to use official email to conduct all government-related work, she said. They are further instructed that if they receive work-related communication on personal accounts, they should be forwarded to official email accounts.

Why this matters: As The New York Times reported, government officials are supposed to use government emails for their official duties so their conversations are available to the public and those conducting oversight. But it is not illegal for White House officials to use private email accounts as long as they forward work-related messages to their work accounts so they can be preserved.

The other reason: During the 2016 election at campaign rallies, debates and speeches, then-candidate Trump criticized Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for using private emails for government work, according to Politico.

It was an incredibly effective attack, said Evan Siegfried, a GOP consultant. He did a great job of injecting the emails into the mainstream.

The FBI chose to investigate Clinton for her decision to use a private email server while discussing classified information. But, according to The Times, the FBI didnt recommend charges.
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