Report says Pence used private email account
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence used a private email account to conduct public business as Indiana’s governor, according to public records obtained by the Indianapolis Star.
The newspaper reported Thursday that emails provided through a public records request show that Mr. Pence communicated with advisers through his personal AOL account on homeland security matters and security at the governor’s residence during his four years as governor.
The governor also faced email security issues. Mr. Pence’s AOL account was subjected to a phishing scheme last spring, before he was chosen by nowPresident Donald Trump to join the GOP presidential ticket. Mr. Pence’s contacts were sent an email falsely claiming that the governor and his wife were stranded in the Philippines and needed money.
The governor moved to a different AOL account with additional security measures, Mr. Pence spokesman Marc Lotter said, but has since stopped using the new personal account since he was swornin as vice president.
Mr. Lotter said Mr. Pence “maintained a state email account and a personal email account” like previous governors in the state. At the end of his term Mr. Pence directed outside counsel to review all of his communications to ensure that state-related emails were transferred and properly archived by the state, the spokesman said.
As Mr. Trump’s running mate, Mr. Pence frequently criticized rival Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server as former secretary of state, accusing her of purposely keeping her emails out of public reach and shielding her from scrutiny.
Mr. Lotter said “the comparison is absurd” because Ms. Clinton had set up a private server in her home at the start of her tenure at the State Department and, unlike Ms. Clinton, Mr. Pence did not handle any classified material as Indiana’s governor.
The newspaper reported that the office of Mr. Pence’s successor, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, released more than 30 pages from Mr. Pence’s AOL account, but declined to release a number of emails because they were considered confidential.