As the screws continue to tighten via multiple court-imposed searches of Hillary Clinton’s emails, signs began to emerge this week that her inner court has started to buckle under the unrelenting media and government scrutiny.
Among the three key aides to Hillary who have been officially named in federal probes, Bryan Pagliano has refused to cooperate with the FBI in its questioning of staff members concerning the nature of emails transacted via her home-based server.
Pagliano was questioned by the inspector general for the State Department in June and then again by the FBI in July, both cases in which he would not respond to inquiries.
Having served among Hillary’s central IT staff in her 2008 White House bid, Pagliano has become increasing a person of interest concerning questions about the security and setup of the home-based server.
Reports surfaced in recent days that Pagliano, who also served as an IT officer for Hillary in the State Department, was specifically responsible for maintaining the email server that has been at the center of the scandal for months.
Attorney for the aide asserted this week that he will exercise his constitutional right to refuse testimony for fear of self-incrimination.
Though fully within his legal options, the move is likely to be seen in a similar way in which infamous IRS agent Lois Lerner’s 5th Amendment option was viewed, which further threatens to bruise the public image of Hillary’s campaign.
