http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/235223-state-department-reviewing-clinton-emails-will-take-several-monthsMarch 10, 2015, 02:44 pm
State Department: Release of Clinton emails will take 'several months'
By David McCabe
The State Department said Tuesday that it will take "several months" to review and publicly release emails from Hillary Clinton's personal account.
The department intends to post all of the emails it clears for release to a publicly accessible website, spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
It is currently reviewing 55,000 pages of emails from Clinton's personal account that she shared with the department. The former secretary of State has come under fire for using a personal account for official business while she served as head of the department.
A smaller set of 300 emails — totaling 900 printed pages — relevant to the House Select Committee on Benghazi will be released earlier and be available to the public as well, according to the State Department.
All the other emails will be released at the same time to ensure that the review process is consistent, Psaki added.
The public release means that reporters and others interested in Clinton's emails will not need to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the documents.
The department is applying any FOIA exemptions before releasing the documents, including redacting information that is private under the law.
The timeline for the release of the emails comes as Clinton prepares to host a press conference on Tuesday to address the controversy over her use of a personal email account.
Republicans and some Democrats have hammered Clinton for days, alleging that she violated public records rules and questioning the security of the emails.
Clinton reportedly also hosted the emails on a private server, which some have said made them more vulnerable to a security breach.
This will not be the first time that a large quantity of documents will be released to be devoured by Clinton-watchers on both sides of the aisle and in the media.
Former President Clinton's presidential library has released large batches of internal White House communications relating to a range of topics.
