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Wednesday, March 27, 2024 | Back issues
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Ex-Clinton Aide’s Immunity Deal Kept Sealed

WASHINGTON (CN) — The federal judge presiding over a case about Hillary Clinton's emails refused to disclose the details of her former aide's immunity deal with the Justice Department.

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan said Tuesday that the government's criminal investigation of Clinton's email server justifies keeping the agreement secret.

The docket order stems from a bid by conservative-minded Judicial Watch for State Department records on the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee's use of a private email server during her four-year tenure as secretary of state.

Sullivan will keep Bryan Pagliano's immunity agreement under seal, but he said the former State Department staffer, who served as Clinton's technology adviser, must sit for a videotaped deposition. This deposition will be temporarily sealed.

Pagliano's attorneys have indicated that he will assert his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, and requested a protective order last week to prohibit his upcoming deposition from being videotaped.

Sullivan did not elaborate on why he denied the protective order.

"Mr. Pagliano's deposition shall be videotaped and the audiovisual of his deposition shall be sealed until further order of the Court," Sullivan's short memo says.

On the issue of Pagliano's immunity agreement, Sullivan found that the public need for access is minimal.

"Indeed, the privacy interests at stake are high because the government's criminal investigation through which Mr. Pagliano received limited immunity is ongoing and confidential," the order states.

"Mr. Pagliano's immunity agreement with the government was filed with the court by Mr. Pagliano solely to enable the court to assess the legitimacy of his intent to assert his Fifth Amendment rights in this civil proceeding," the order continues.

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