Hillary: Homebrew Server Was Guarded by Secret Service

Hillary Clinton’s statement on her use of private email at the State Department wasn’t terribly convincing, but there is no doubt it was carefully crafted. At one point, she even dragged the Secret Service into a defense of her private email server.

Reading from a briefing book throughout her Q&A, Hillary said at one point, “Well, the system we used was set up for President Clinton’s office. And it had numerous safeguards. It was on property guarded by the Secret Service. And there were no security breaches.”

As an organization, the Secret Service has a certain cachet. Most Americans assume they are serious people who are good at their jobs, even if they have had some bad press recently. But Hillary seems to be trying to claim them as evidence of her server’s security, as if hackers in China or Iran are cat burglars who needed to physically enter her residence to gain access to her email. In reality, physical security of the server is just one step in securing its contents. It’s the digital security that is the real concern. It’s the lack of sufficient digital security that is the real risk.

Notice how Hillary flows from mention of the Secret Service to her next statement: “And there were no security breaches.” That makes it sound cut and dry, but this is a Clinton speaking, so perhaps the claim should be parsed carefully. When Hillary says there were no security breaches, is she talking about her server or her house? The two things are distinct, and her answer seems to run them both together.

There must have been someone whose job it was to maintain Hillary’s email server. The question is whether that person (or group) is as good at their security job as the Secret Service. In today’s presser Hillary did not make an effort to answer that question clearly.