Rahm Emanuel Used a Private Email Setup, Too

Chicago mayor insists he didn't use a custom server though
By Daniel Kay,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 6, 2016 3:55 PM CST
Rahm Emanuel Used a Private Email Setup, Too
Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton laughs with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel after he missed her hand during a high-five attempt, Wednesday, June 11, 2014, in Chicago, during an event promote her new book.   (AP Photo/Stacy Thacker)

Information pieced together from recent WikiLeaks releases and the FBI investigation of Hillary Clinton reveals that Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel has also used a private email configuration. The Chicago Tribune reports that the domain, rahmemail.com, was registered on May 16, 2011—the same day Emanuel was sworn in as mayor of Chicago. Emanuel's spokesman Adam Collins says the mayor only uses a custom email domain, not a private server. Collins explains "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. A dedicated Gmail domain allowed for better security given the growing threat of cyberattacks." It's not clear whether Emanuel conducted government business on a personal email account.

The Tribune sued Emanuel in 2015, alleging the mayor failed to release relevant communications under a Freedom of Information Act request. The newspaper notes that government business conducted by a public official over email is subject to Illinois' open records law, yet "several ... FOIA reqeusts since Emanual took office have turned up little to no email communications from the mayor on his government email accounts." The Tribune alleges that he failed to turn over personal emails that were used to conduct city business. The AP reported in Sept. 2015 that the complaint cited a "pattern of non-compliance, partial compliance, delay and obfuscation" in response to requests for the mayor's emails. Emails obtained by WikiLeaks show Emanuel communicated with both Clinton and her campaign manager John Podesta using personal email accounts. (More Rahm Emanuel stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X