Lawyers Clashed at Clinton Aide's (Cheryl Mills) Depostion on FOIA Civil Suit

[KoKo]

Lawyers clashed at Clinton aide's deposition

By Josh Gerstein--Politico

05/31/16 05:11 PM EDT

Lawyers for former Hillary Clinton aide Cheryl Mills, the State Department, and a conservative group tangled repeatedly on Friday as Mills testified at a contentious deposition in a lawsuit relating to Clinton's use of a private e-mail account and server during her four years as secretary of state, a transcript of the session shows.

The testimony illustrated the complexity of getting to the bottom of the email mess as Mills' attorney, Beth Wilkinson, objected to a variety of questions that she said intruded on Clinton's attorney-client privilege by asking about Mills work for Clinton as a private lawyer after serving for nearly four years as Clinton's chief of staff at the State Department.

Wilkinson and a State Department lawyer also objected that many of the questions asked by an attorney for Judicial Watch went beyond the areas permitted by U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan, who authorized fact-finding highly unusual in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

When Judicial Watch lawyer Ramona Cotca asked Mills whether she'd discussed Clinton's email issues with lawyer Heather Samuelson, Wilkinson jumped in.

"I'm going to object right now. Beyond the scope," Wilkinson said.

"I'm asking who represented Secretary Clinton," Cotca replied.

That's totally irrelevant to the areas that we're here to talk about," Wilkinson shot back. "I'm going to instruct her not to answer on these issues."

An effort by Cotca to explore the role of computer specialist Bryan Pagliano in arranging Clinton's server met with a similar result.

"What did Mr. Pagliano tell you in those conversations you had about the setup of the server?" Cotca asked.

"Objection. Beyond the scope. And I'm going to instruct her not to answer," Wilkinson said.

"Objection. Beyond the scope and potentially calls for privilege," Justice Department attorney Marcia Berman chimed in.

While much of the deposition was occupied by such legal jousting, Mills did testify that she had no recollection of any discussion at the outset of Clinton's service as secretary about Clinton possibly using a State Department account.

"Secretary Clinton continued a practice that she was using of [sic] her personal email," Mills said according to the transcript. "I don't know that I could articulate that there was a specific discussion as opposed to her continuation of the practice she had been using when she was a Senator. ... I don't have a specific memory of the conversations that may or may not have occurred. I know that I understood she was going to be using her personal email and that's what she did."

Mills also said she thought Clinton's email was subject to search for FOIA requests, but could not recall any discussion with others in Clinton's office about that specific issue.

"I don't have a recollection of having a discussion with somebody in the Secretary's office and her email being subject to FOIA. It was my impression it was," the former aide said.

Mills said she expected that Clinton's support staff knew about the private email address, but never specifically talked to them about how to handle FOIA requests covering the secretary's messages.

Continued at........

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/cheryl-mills-hillary-clinton-deposition-223753

[emulatorloo]

1. Thanks for the article and the link! n/t

[KoKo]

6. Thanks...it's from Politco..so, hopefully, more people will read...

It's a Judicial Watch FOIA Civil Lawsuit (and even though its being handled in by a Clinton Appointed Federal Judge), many DU'ers Freak Out...thinking its RW Conspiracy Theory and not Real...for some reason.

[cantbeserious]

2. This Citizen Wonders What They Are Hiding - Whatever It Is - It Must Be Damaging

eom

[scscholar]

3. And there were eleven lawyers present!

Just ridiculous how wasteful this entire thing is. Image how much they got to bill over this.

[Stallion]

5. I See a Bunch of Laymen floundering on the Meaning and Purpose of Various Common Legal Objections

nm

[KoKo]

7. Well...Cheryl Mills is definitly distancing herself .....

Mills also said she thought Clinton's email was subject to search for FOIA requests, but could not recall any discussion with others in Clinton's office about that specific issue.

"I don't have a recollection of having a discussion with somebody in the Secretary's office and her email being subject to FOIA. It was my impression it was," the former aide said.

Mills said she expected that Clinton's support staff knew about the private email address, but never specifically talked to them about how to handle FOIA requests covering the secretary's messages.

[Barack_America]

8. No doubt. Sorry, "support staff", but you have just been sacrificed.

It is utterly unbelievable to me that her Chief of Staff did not realize she was using a private server. But let them play their games...

We would skewer any Republican administration about this, and here is half of this site laughing this shit off.

Just sad, really.

[JoePhilly]

9. Wait ... lawyers argued in a legal deposition?????

That NEVER happens!!!!!