Scott Joins Colleagues to Introduce TRUST Act to Revoke Secretary Clinton’s Security Clearance

Washington- U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) joined Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) to introduce the TRUST Act (S.3135), legislation that would revoke Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s security clearance as well as the security clearances of Secretary Clinton’s colleagues at the State Department who exhibited extreme carelessness in their handling of classified information. Additionally, theTRUST (Taking Responsibility Using Secured Technologies)Act expresses the sense of Congress that Secretary Clinton should not have access to classified information again until she earns the legal right to such access.

“The bottom line is Secretary Clinton created her own email system, used it to send classified documents, and was most likely hacked by foreign operatives,” Senator Scott said. “This exhibits a serious lack of judgment, and must have consequences. I’m pleased to stand with Senators Gardner and Cornyn to introduce the TRUST Act to ensure Secretary Clinton and other employees of the State Department who jeopardized critical national security information lose their security clearance.”

“The FBI’s investigation into Secretary Clinton’s personal e-mail server confirmed what Americans across the country already know: Secretary Clinton recklessly accessed classified information on an insecure system – establishing a vulnerable and highly desirable target for foreign hackers,” said Gardner. “If the FBI won’t recommend action based on its findings, Congress will. At the very least, Secretary Clinton should not have access to classified information and our bill makes sure of it.”

“Access to classified information is a tremendous responsibility, and should only be entrusted to those who will treat that information with the care it deserves,” said Senator Cornyn. “When individuals mishandle our country’s most sensitive information they jeopardize national security and shouldn’t be trusted with such an important responsibility.”

The TRUST Act was introduced after the conclusion of the FBI’s investigation into Secretary Clinton’s use of a personal e-mail system in her capacity as Secretary of State. In an announcement earlier this week, FBI Director James Comey said that “there is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information” and “none of these e-mails should have been on any kind of unclassified system, but their presence is especially concerning because all of these e-mails were housed on unclassified personal servers not even supported by full-time security staff.” The FBI uncovered several thousand additional emails related to her position, some of which contained classified material, that were not included in the 30,000 emails Clinton handed over to the State Department. Comey concluded the FBI’s findings with “we assess it is possible that hostile actors gained access to Secretary Clinton’s personal e-mail account.”

Comey stated the investigation initially focused on whether classified information was transmitted on Secretary Clinton’s personal e-mail system and evolved to determine if there is evidence that classified information was not properly transmitted or stored on that personal e-mail system and whether there is evidence that the system was hacked by foreign or hostile hackers. While Comey confirmed that classified information was transmitted and stored improperly and the personal e-mail system may have been hacked, he formally recommended that no charges be filed against Secretary Clinton.