Hillary: ‘The Decision To Have a Single Email Account Was Mine,’ ‘There Are No Excuses’

On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “AC 360,” Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated, “there are no excuses. I want people to know that the decision to have a single email account was mine. I take responsibility for it. I’ve apologized for it. I would certainly do differently if I could.”

Hillary said, in response to a question on former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s claim that he did not mention his use of a private email account to her until after she had set up her private email server, “Well, look, I have the utmost respect for Secretary Powell, and he was incredibly gracious and helpful after I was nominated, and before I took job. I appreciated the time he took when I was preparing to become secretary, and I valued his advice. I’m not going to re-litigate in public my private conversations with him. I’ve been asked many, many questions in the past year about emails, and what I’ve learned is that when I try to explain what happened, it can sound like I’m trying to excuse what i did, and there are no excuses. I want people to know that the decision to have a single email account was mine. I take responsibility for it. I’ve apologized for it. I would certainly do differently if I could. But, obviously, I’m grateful the Justice Department concluded there was no basis to pursue this matter further, and I believe the public will be, and is considering my full record and experience as they consider their choice for president.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett