WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Republican party has demanded an investigation into reports that a senior State Department official allegedly offered the FBI a 'quid pro quo' to hide the full extent of Hillary Clinton's mishandling of classified information.
According to records of interviews with FBI officials released by the Bureau on Monday, the unnamed official says that Patrick Kennedy, Under Secretary of State for management, tried in late June or early July of last year to get the FBI to change a classified email to unclassified, in exchange for the State Department allowing the FBI to place agents in more countries.
However, FBI is denying that any 'quid pro quo' was offered in the fight between the bureau and State Department over the classification level of the email.
State Department spokesman John Kirby also denied it.
Tuesday, the Republican National Committee (RNC) sent a letter to Steve Linick, the State Department's Inspector General, demanding a full investigation into the allegations.
In the mail, RNC Chief Counsel John R. Phillippe Jr. says that the alleged attempt to make a backroom deal to cover up the extent to which US national security was put at risk is shocking and warrants an immediate review. He requested that the IG office investigate whether Kennedy made any additional quid-pro-quo offers to other federal agencies in relation to Secretary Clinton's emails.
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