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Wednesday, October 19, 2016

State Dept. won't fire top official in latest email scandal

The State Department rejected calls from Congress to fire a top official for his role in an apparent scheme to downplay the classified information found on Hillary Clinton's private email server, and instead accused the FBI of getting its facts wrong.

According to FBI notes released Monday, Patrick Kennedy, the undersecretary for management at the department, offered a trade with the FBI in order to get the FBI to declassify a classified email. In return, the FBI suggested that the State Department back more FBI officials in Iraq.

The deal was never done, but the discussion of it prompted GOP lawmakers to say Kennedy needs to be fired. But spokesman Mark Toner said Monday that Kennedy wasn't going anywhere.

"Well, that's their prerogative, but I can say that Pat Kennedy is going to remain at his job, and he has the full confidence of the secretary of state," he said.

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