State Department Seeks to Limit Judicial Watch Questioning of Clinton Aides

The State Department is seeking to limit questions a conservative watchdog group can ask aides for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, The Washington Post reports.

In a filing made late Tuesday, State asks U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan to limit Judicial Watch's questions of seven current and former Clinton aides to "the reasons for the creation of [the clintonemail.com] system."

State has asked the judge to keep off-limits the employment status of Huma Abedin, who was then deputy chief of staff and currently vice chairman of Clinton's presidential campaign. The department also wants Judicial Watch to be barred from asking about "the storage, handling, transmission, or protection of classified information, including cybersecurity issues; and questions about any pending investigations."

The FBI currently is investigating Clinton's use of the private server.

Judicial Watch, on the other hand, has submitted a discovery plan to depose aides Patrick M. Kennedy, Cheryl Mills, Huma Abedin and Bryan Pagliano on their knowledge of the server. Pagliano, who set up the server, has plead the Fifth to Congress, but has been granted immunity from prosecution.

Judicial Watch's plan to question the aides was made to determine whether Clinton's private email server violated open-records laws.

Sullivan is expected to make a ruling on the two proposals on April 12, Lawnews.com reports.

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