# Senior members of the Trump administration are continuing to use personal email accounts **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 26, 2017, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200 "2017-01-26T03:47:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200/21 "2017-01-26T16:13:11Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Inadvertent but there were a small number of **UNMARKED** emails that got through. > > _Slight emphasis added for obvious reasons_ There were 81 documents that were classified. [Comey](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/sep/07/hillary-clinton/clinton-says-none-her-emails-were-labeled-top-secr/) has said it’s understandable that Clinton did not realize some of this unmarked information was classified. But he also has said she should have recognized by the topic of discussion that some of these emails did not belong on a non-classified system, given that 36 of these email chains had “secret” information and eight had “top secret” information. This doesn’t account for the 30,000 destroyed emails or the devices she had that were physically destroyed or the server she kept in a bathroom. All of this would land a federal employee in jail. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200/22 "2017-01-26T16:15:18Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > That makes sense but I still wouldn’t think it something justifying the level of outrage I saw coming out of the US. She destroyed evidence from multiple devices. This was someone who served on a committee investigating Richard Nixon’s private tapes. It wasn’t an accident. It was a deliberate attempt to circumvent the law. It’s not the first time she’s done this. Her law firm docs magically disappeared over a business deal that put 15 people in jail. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200/23 "2017-01-26T16:25:35Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > This doesn’t account for the 30,000 destroyed emails or the devices she had that were physically destroyed or the server she kept in a bathroom. You mean the 30,000 personal emails? That were personal? That were not discussing government business? That were discussing, among other things, her daughter’s wedding? The personal emails that she had every right to delete were deleted? > [@](#): > > All of this would land a federal employee in jail. Yeah, federal employees better not delete any personal emails off their Yahoo accounts, or **Magiver** ’ll get ya! ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200/24 "2017-01-26T16:26:38Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > This seems accurate to me. Shouldn’t they use the RNC addresses for political RNC traffic and the .gov for official business? What proof do you have that they weren’t using the RNC addresses for official business? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200/25 "2017-01-26T16:34:40Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > You mean the 30,000 personal emails? That were personal? That were not discussing government business? That were discussing, among other things, her daughter’s wedding? The personal emails that she had every right to delete were deleted? Thus illustrating the problem inherent in comingling official government emails with personal emails on a private email system - a problem that someone operating at Clinton’s level should have seen coming. Government employees are supposed to avoid even the _appearance_ of impropriety. > [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > Yeah, federal employees better not delete any personal emails off their Yahoo accounts, or **Magiver** ’ll get ya! So you think a GS-level federal employee would _not_ end up in jail (or at the very least, unemployed) for conducting a large part of her job through a personal email account? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200/26 "2017-01-26T16:37:14Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Thus illustrating the problem inherent in comingling official government emails with personal emails on a private email system - a problem that someone operating at Clinton’s level should have seen coming. Government employees are supposed to avoid even the _appearance_ of impropriety. Well, it’s a good thing we elected Donald Trump, then. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200/27 "2017-01-26T16:41:14Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > So you think a GS-level federal employee would _not_ end up in jail […] for conducting a large part of her job through a personal email account? Well, according to Comey, no one in the history of the United States had ever been prosecuted for doing what Clinton did. So I guess that’s your answer. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200/28 "2017-01-26T16:44:57Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > Well, according to Comey, no one in the history of the United States had ever been prosecuted for doing what Clinton did. So I guess that’s your answer. Has anyone else in the history of the United States ever actually _done_ what she did? > [@Lemur866](#): > > > [@Machine Elf](#): > > > > Government employees are supposed to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. > > Well, it’s a good thing we elected Donald Trump, then. The ethics rules don’t say anything about avoiding the appearance of a Cheeto. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200/29 "2017-01-26T16:55:03Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Has anyone else in the history of the United States ever actually _done_ what she did? For one, Colin Powell. For two, Condoleezza Rice. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200/30 "2017-01-26T17:13:39Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > > For one, Colin Powell. For two, Condoleezza Rice. They were operating at the same high level as Clinton, and apparently enjoy the same level of immunity. Are there any GS-level employees known to have done it? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200/31 "2017-01-26T17:22:04Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > They were operating at the same high level as Clinton, and apparently enjoy the same level of immunity. Are there any GS-level employees known to have done it? Don’t know. Do know no one has ever been prosecuted for it, including exact comparables to Clinton. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200/32 "2017-01-26T18:43:54Z")
The current @POTUS twitter account is currently secured with a gmail address [http://bgr.com/2017/01/26/trump-twitter-security-potus/](http://bgr.com/2017/01/26/trump-twitter-security-potus/) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200/33 "2017-01-26T18:51:24Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > This was someone who served on a committee investigating Richard Nixon’s private tapes. Hilary Clinton did not serve on a committee investigating Richard Nixon’s private tapes. Your assertion is specious and misleading. Were you, perhaps, simply offering us “alternative facts”? ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200/34 "2017-01-26T18:52:14Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > The current @POTUS twitter account is currently secured with a gmail address > > [http://bgr.com/2017/01/26/trump-twitter-security-potus/](http://bgr.com/2017/01/26/trump-twitter-security-potus/) Ladies and gentlemen, The Three Stooges are now occupying the most powerful office in the world. God help us. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200/35 "2017-01-26T20:52:50Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Meanwhile, the president is continuing to use the [same insecure Android phone](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/25/technology/donald-trump-phone-social-media-security.html) he used prior to achieving office. How is that OK? Did you read the article you cited? It says things like: > [@](#): > > …it’s unclear what security measures have been put in place on the device… > [@](#): > > …exposes the device to security vulnerabilities if proper measures like two-factor authentication — a password and a code texted to a phone, for example — are not in place. > [@](#): > > If he uses the smartphone on an unsecure Wi-Fi network, he could be exposing his location and other personal information on the device. > [@](#): > > It is unclear if the device and its functions like texting are encrypted to thwart hacking. And the article cited by **Baron Greenback** says: > [@](#): > > It is unclear if the device and its functions like texting are encrypted to thwart hacking. Lots and lots of “if…” and “It’s not clear…” - in other words, not factual reporting but speculation. Obama fought hard for a smartphone while in office and eventually got one - a highly secured one. Until I see more than idle speculation, I can’t believe Trump cowtowed the security PTB into letting him use an unsecured phone. ETA - if the speculation proves true, I will be among those screaming for justice. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200/36 "2017-01-26T21:12:54Z")
I believe the conclusion that he’s using the same phone as he used prior to taking office is based on the metadata attached to his tweets. And [this site](http://m.androidcentral.com/which-android-phone-does-donald-trump-use) concludes that he’s using a Samsung Galaxy S3, which is a model first released in 2012. I believe that while in office, Obama used a smartphone built and/or secured by Lockheed Martin rather than a consumer-grade device. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200/37 "2017-01-26T21:13:34Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > If they are doing party business they should be using RNC servers. Should they be doing party business while they’re on the government payroll? Not a rhetorical question, btw. While I honestly don’t know if that’s against any laws, it seems a bit iffy. I know the President, being the leader of his party as well as the head of state, of necessity does both party and government business. But no such necessity exists for his staff. > [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > So you think a GS-level federal employee would _not_ end up in jail (or at the very least, unemployed) for conducting a large part of her job through a personal email account? Jail? No. A good chance of losing one’s job, though. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200/38 "2017-01-26T21:21:34Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I believe that while in office, Obama used a smartphone built and/or secured by Lockheed Martin rather than a consumer-grade device. It’s Boeing who make a very secure android smartphone: [Boeing Black (pdf)](http://www.boeing.com/assets/pdf/defense-space/ic/black/boeing_black_smartphone_product_card.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200/39 "2017-01-26T21:56:20Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I believe the conclusion that he’s using the same phone as he used prior to taking office is based on the metadata attached to his tweets. And [this site](http://m.androidcentral.com/which-android-phone-does-donald-trump-use) concludes that he’s using a Samsung Galaxy S3, which is a model first released in 2012. I believe that while in office, Obama used a smartphone built and/or secured by Lockheed Martin rather than a consumer-grade device. All true, but we still don’t know what steps may have been taken to secure Trump’s consumer grade phone. I can speculate as well - maybe it has been altered to never connect to unsecured Wi-Fi and has double authentication on everything possible. The point is that we don’t know and the articles say as much. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200/40 "2017-01-26T23:28:48Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > I believe that while in office, Obama used a smartphone built and/or secured by Lockheed Martin rather than a consumer-grade device. > > It’s Boeing who make a very secure android smartphone: [Boeing Black (pdf)](http://www.boeing.com/assets/pdf/defense-space/ic/black/boeing_black_smartphone_product_card.pdf) Actually, it was [General Dynamics](http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/22/obama.blackberry/) that provided the phone for President Obama, a “Sectera Edge”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senior-members-of-the-trump-administration-are-continuing-to-use-personal-email-accounts/778200.md?page=3)