Hillary Clinton's Benghazi-Related Email Exchanges Likely To Be Subpoenaed
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Hillary Clinton email scandal has expanded.
A House committee investigating the Benghazi attacks is now expected to subpoena her personal email exchanges as they question why she used a private account to conduct government business, CBS2's Marcia Kramer reported Wednesday.
The phrase "you've got mail" could take on new meaning for the former secretary of state as federal probers appear intent on slapping her with a subpoena for her e-mail exchanges about the fatal 2012 terrorist attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya.
But since Clinton apparently conducted all her State Department business from a private email account the impending subpoena might be the first of many, Kramer reported.
A Secret Service fence protects Clinton's Chappaqua, N.Y., home from prying eyes, but it is her use of a secret computer server inside that house -- used to transmit and receive her email correspondence as secretary of state -- that is now being questioned.
Experts told Kramer a private server like that would give Clinton iron-fisted control over her messages, but it may give her opponents an opportunity to punch holes in her credibility.
"Shocking that it took this long to come out," Iona College political science professor Jeanne Zaino said.
The shock is two-fold. First, that as secretary of state, Clinton set up a private email account to exclusively conduct government business, and, second, that the server was in her house.
"It just prolongs this question of what in fact she was doing; why she didn't use a government account. Did she turn everything over and if not why not?" Zaino said.
The House special committee investigating Benghazi is expected to subpoena Clinton's personal emails.
"The fact is the State Department cannot certify they have produced all of former Secretary Clinton's emails because they do not have all of former Secretary Clinton's emails," said House Select Committee on Benghazi Chair Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.
Clinton has said she turned over some 55,000 pages of correspondence, but the State Department estimates it produces 2 billion emails a year.
Officials contend she didn't break the law.
"Certainly when she was secretary, there was not a prohibition on using personal e-mail," State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said.
In Washington on Tuesday night, Clinton avoided any mention of the scandal, but Republicans eyeing her expected presidential run raised questions.
"It's a pattern of deception that began from before she became secretary until her last day," said California Rep. Darrell Issa.
Two former secretaries of state, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, also used personal email accounts, while current Secretary of State John Kerry uses a government account, Kramer reported.