Audit shows Hillary Clinton violated State Department policy with private email server

In this May 24, 2016 file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks in Commerce, Calif. A State Department audit has faulted Hillary Clinton and previous top U.S. diplomats for poorly managing information and slowly responding to new cybersecurity risks. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

WASHINGTON — A spokesman for Hillary Clinton says a report by the State Department’s inspector general shows that her email practices were “consistent” with those of past secretaries and senior officials.

Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said in a statement Wednesday that the report shows problems with the State Department’s electronic record-keeping systems “were longstanding” and emphasizes that her use of a private email server “was known to officials within the department during her tenure.”

The inspector general’s 78-page analysis, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, cites “longstanding, systemic weaknesses” related to the agency’s communications and says Clinton disregarded various State Department guidelines for avoiding cybersecurity risks.

Fallon acknowledged that “steps ought to have been taken” to better maintain official records.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner says the agency is “already working” to improve its email and records management system on the heels of an independent audit that faulted the department — and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in particular — for lax cybersecurity.

Toner says “it is clear that the department could have done a better job preserving emails and records of secretaries of state and their senior staff going back several administrations,” and said the State Department also agrees that compliance with its rules has been “inconsistent across several administrations.”

But Toner also said the department had taken a number of steps by early 2015 to improve its cybersecurity.

The State Department inspector general on Wednesday said Clinton disregarded various guidelines for avoiding cybersecurity risks. Clinton used a private server set up for her home and used it for work and personal emails, including some that have since been classified. The issue has dogged her as she has sought the Democratic presidential nomination.