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Rahm Emanuel used personal email domain for government work Rahm Emanuel used personal email domain for government work
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Emails released by WikiLeaks show that Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel has used personal email accounts and a personal email domain to communicate with government officials and political figures. Emails released by WikiLeaks show Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel used personal email accounts and a personal email domain to communicate with government officials and political figures, according to a published report.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Emanuel’s personal account information turned up among emails stolen from Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign chairman, John Podesta, and posted by WikiLeaks. Emanuel’s personal account information turned up among the thousands of emails from John Podesta, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, the Chicago Tribune reported. Clinton has come under fire for her use of a private email server while secretary of state, because doing so potentially jeopardized classified information.
Emanuel, a Democrat and former member of the House of Representatives, was chief of staff in the Obama administration between 2009 and 2010. Emanuel registered his personal email domain, “rahmemail.com”, on 16 May 2011, the day he was sworn into office. The hacked emails also turned up evidence of Emanuel’s personal Gmail account.
He registered his personal email domain, “rahmemail.com”, on 16 May 2011, the day he was sworn into office as Chicago mayor. Podesta’s hacked emails also turned up evidence of Emanuel’s personal Gmail account. Adam Collins, a spokesman for the mayor, said Emanuel’s use of a customized email domain, or name, is common, and that it was created to ensure the mayor was not using a government email for personal or political purposes.
The newspaper said the messages were the first direct evidence that Emanuel has used personal email accounts beyond official city government accounts. He was sued by the newspaper last year in a case about state open record laws that is still pending. He added that Emanuel has not and does not use a private email server like the one Clinton used to transfer emails. Collins did not say whether Emanuel has used either of the personal email accounts to conduct government business.
Emanuel spokesman Adam Collins said the mayor’s use of a customized email domain was common, adding the mayor has not had and does not use a private email server. The messages included in the WikiLeaks leaks were among the first direct evidence that Emanuel has used personal email accounts as mayor beyond official city government accounts.
The publication of Podesta’s emails by WikiLeaks has contributed to controversy over the use of a private server by Clinton while she was secretary of state during Barack Obama’s first term. Emanuel was sued by the Chicago Tribune last year in a still-pending case seeking access to his emails under the state’s open record laws. Under Illinois law, government business conducted over email by a public official is subject to the state’s open records law, but Emanuel’s office argued that the emails sought by the Tribune are not public records.
The newspaper’s Freedom of Information Act requests filed since Emanuel took office have turned up little to no email communications from the mayor on his government email accounts.
“After the mayor’s election in 2011, the campaign fund set up a new email to ensure the mayor was not using government email for private or political use, which could violate city ordinance or state law,’” Collins told the newspaper. “A dedicated Gmail domain allowed for better security given the growing threat of cyberattacks.”
Federal records show that since taking office, Emanuel used his custom email domain to send at least seven messages on two different strings to Clinton while she was secretary of state, the newspaper reported. One involved an invitation for a joint appearance in Chicago.
“Sorry, but I’m scheduled to be in the Balkans so would love a rain check for next time. All the best, Mayor,” Clinton wrote back.
In June 2014, Clinton made good on her rain check, participating in a special Ideas Week interview.
The hacked emails WikiLeaks released also showed Emanuel, a former congressman who was briefly Barack Obama’s White House chief of staff, using his rahmemail.com domain to contact Podesta. The day after Emanuel was forced into a runoff in his re-election bid, Podesta used a Gmail address for Emanuel instead of the rahmemail.com account.