- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

State Dept. Releases Hillary's Emails Under Cover of Darkness

© AP Photo / Carolyn KasterDemocratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, listens as she testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015, before the House Select Committee on Benghazi
Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, listens as she testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015, before the House Select Committee on Benghazi - Sputnik International
Subscribe
The State Department released almost 2,900 pages of Hillary Clinton's emails at 1:39 am ET on Friday; the previous instalment from the former Secretary of State revealed the real motivation for the military intervention that toppled Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi.

US Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton - Sputnik International
Ex-US Attorney: Hillary Clinton May Face Criminal Indictment Within Months
In the early hours of Friday morning, the State Department released 1,262 emails from Hillary Clinton's private email account, which she used during her time as Secretary of State to conduct official business.

The publication follows the release of over 3,105 emails on New Year's Eve, and brought the State Department in line with a federal judge's order to release 82 percent of 55,000 pages of emails by January 29. 

Clinton's lawyers handed over the emails to the State Department in December last year, and intelligence officials are poring over them for sensitive information before they are released to the public. Instead of sending a digital download of the emails, which officials could search, Clinton opted to print out all the emails and delivered them in boxes to the department.

U.S. presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton participates in a discussion in a classroom at New Hampshire Technical Institute while campaigning for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination in Concord, New Hampshire, April 21, 2015 - Sputnik International
That Explains a Lot: Hillary Reveals Vodka Competition with John McCain
Among the emails released on December 31 were 275 documents that the State Department have since upgraded to 'classified' status. One of them was a confidential memo from Sydney Blumenthal dated April 2, 2011, in which he passed on information that Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi "has nearly bottomless resources to continue indefinitely."

"On April 2, 2011 sources with access to advisors to Salt al-Islam Qaddafi stated in strictest confidence that while the freezing of Libya's foreign bank accounts presents Muammar Qaddafi with serious challenges, his ability to equip and maintain his armed forces and intelligence services remains intact. According to sensitive information available to this these individuals, Qaddafi's government holds 143 tons of gold, and a similar amount in silver," Blumenthal told Clinton.

The intelligence sources explained that the quantity of gold and silver is worth more than $7 billion, and "was one of the factors that influenced President Nicolas Sarkozy's decision to commit France to the attack on Libya."

"This gold was accumulated prior to the current rebellion and was intended to be used to establish a pan-African currency based on the Libyan golden Dinar. This plan was designed to provide the Francophone African Countries with an alternative to the French franc (CFA)."

According to this intelligence, several factors motivated the French president to back the US-led military intervention that toppled Qaddafi. Among them was a desire to gain a greater share of Libya oil production, and to increase French influence in North Africa, which was threatened by Qaddafi's long term plans to supplant France as the dominant power in Francophone Africa.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала