Hillary Clinton Deleted All Emails, Wiping Server Clean, Says Head of House Probe Panel on Libya Attacks

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton permanently deleted all emails from her personal server, wiping it clean, while refusing to respond to a House subpoena to submit documents related to the 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya, the Republican chairman of a U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating the attacks said.

Rep. Trey Gowdy said Clinton had not provided a single new document related to the case.

"We learned today, from her attorney, Secretary Clinton unilaterally decided to wipe her server clean and permanently delete all emails from her personal server," Gowdy, chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, said in a statement on Friday.

Clinton, the presumed front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, continued to draw sharp criticism after it was revealed that she used a private email address while secretary of state.

In her defense, Clinton said she has already given copies of all her work-related emails to the State Department.

In turn, the State Department said it has already given Gowdy's committee all the relevant emails that Clinton sent, some 300 in all, regarding the attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya.

But members of Gowdy's committee said they needed to see all of Clinton's emails, including those she did not give to the State Department, to ensure utmost transparency.

The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings, said there was no need for this since the letter the panel received from Clinton's lawyer already confirmed that Clinton had turned over all relevant emails.

"It is time for the Committee to stop this political charade and instead make these documents public and schedule Secretary Clinton's public testimony now," Cummings said in a statement.

Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said the former State secretary welcomes the opportunity to appear before the House panel.

Gowdy remained unconvinced, pointing out that Clinton did not inform as to when she deleted all emails from her server. "It appears she made the decision after October 28, 2014, when the Department of State for the first time asked the Secretary to return her public record to the Department," the Republican lawmaker said.

Gowdy subpoenaed Clinton and gave her until April 3 to submit the server to a neutral third party for examination.

"After seeking and receiving a two-week extension from the Committee, Secretary Clinton failed to provide a single new document to the subpoena issued by the Committee and refused to provide her private server to the Inspector General for the State Department or any other independent arbiter for analysis," Gowdy said.

Gowdy said because of the deletion of the private server, "not only was the Secretary the sole arbiter of what was a public record, she also summarily decided to delete all emails from her server ensuring no one could check behind her analysis in the public interest."

Gowdy said he will talk House Speaker John Boehner about Clinton's decision to delete all her emails. "In light of the Secretary's unprecedented email arrangement with herself and her decision nearly two years after she left office to permanently delete all emails and because the equities at stake involve not only those of the Select Committee and Congress more broadly, but also those of the American people and their right to the full record of her tenure as secretary of State, we will work with the leadership of the House of Representatives as the Committee considers next steps," he said.

"But it is clear Congress will need to speak with the former Secretary about her email arrangement and the decision to permanently delete those emails."