More than 50 emails, many marked "Sensitive," focused on security problems surrounding "Use of Blackberries in Mahogany Row"

Final March 2009, internal memo from Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security warned of "vulnerabilities and risks" by Clinton and staff's use of Blackberries in executive suites

Contact: Jill Farrell, Judicial Watch, 202-646-5172
 
WASHINGTON, Dec. 18, 2015 /Standard Newswire/ -- Judicial Watch announced today that it has obtained documents as result of a federal court order containing more than 50 State Department internal emails from February through March 2009 warning of serious security concerns involving the use by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her staff of "highly vulnerable" Blackberries in the executive offices of the Foggy Bottom headquarters.

The internal discussion culminated in a March 2, 2009, internal memorandum from Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security Eric Boswell entitled "Use of Blackberries on Mahogany Row," in which he strongly advised that the devices not be allowed. According to the Boswell memo, sent to then-Secretary of State Clinton and her Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills, "the vulnerabilities and risks associated with the use of Blackberries in Mahogany Row [seventh floor executive offices] considerably outweigh their convenience." Clinton has admitted she used a Blackberry during her early days in office despite Boswell's memo with explicit written objections.

The documents were obtained under court order in a Judicial Watch Freedom of Information (FOIA) lawsuit (Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:15-cv-00646)). Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit on April 29, 2015, after the State Department failed to comply with a March 10, 2015, FOIA request seeking release of:

• Records of requests by former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton or her staff to the State Department Office Security Technology seeking approval for the use of an iPad or iPhone for official government business; and
   
• Communications within or between the Office of the Secretary of State, the Executive Secretariat, and the Office of the Secretary and the Office of Security Technology related to the use of unauthorized electronic devices for official government business.

The internal State Department debate over the use by Clinton and her staff of "Electronic Devices on the 7th Floor" begins with a February 9, 2011, email from an unidentified source to State Department Director of the Office of Physical Security Programs Gentry Smith and Senior Coordinator for Security Infrastructure, Bureau of Diplomatic Security Donald Reid, in which the source advised: "I wanted to share with you, back channel, a little insight into current thinking in the Secretary's inner circle on technology issues…" That same day, Reid responded by acknowledging the "vulnerabilities of portable devices" and saying he would expand the discussion to include Clinton chief of staff Cheryl Mills who wanted "to correct urban myths… re other agencies." Reid did not clarify what "urban myths" Mills apparently wanted to clear up.

MORE: www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/judicial-watch-state-department-documents-reveal-intense-debate-over-security-risk-poised-by-clinton-blackberry-use-in-foggy-bottom-executive-offices