Lawyer: Clinton answered enough questions

WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton’s lawyer told a federal judge Monday that the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has already answered enough questions about her use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state.

David Kendall appeared at a hearing on whether a conservative legal group should be granted its request to interview Clinton under oath. The group, Judicial Watch, has filed multiple lawsuits seeking records related to Clinton’s tenure as the nation’s top diplomat from 2009 to 2013.

If allowed, a videotaped sworn deposition by Clinton would likely become fodder for attack ads in the presidential race. Republican officials have said repeatedly they plan to hammer the issue of her emails through the November election.

Kendall told U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan that Clinton has previously testified under oath before the congressional committee investigating the 2012 Benghazi attacks and was interviewed for hours as part of the FBI’s recently closed investigation. Both times Clinton said her choice to use a private server located in the basement of her New York home was motivated by convenience.

Kendall said further questioning would be “futile.”

“The answer is not going to change: It was a matter of convenience,” Clinton’s lawyer told the judge.

Kendall also cited case law that says current and former cabinet secretaries and department heads should only be subjected to depositions under extraordinary circumstances, adding that the lawsuit at issue failed to meet that legal standard.

Sullivan previously authorized Judicial Watch to question seven current and former State Department officials, including Clinton’s Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills and Deputy Chief of Staff Huma Abedin. They have gained access to reams of emails and documents.

The judge asked Kendall how much time Clinton and her team might need to respond if he were to allow Judicial Watch to submit written questions, rather than approving an in-person deposition. Kendall initially said two weeks, before extending his estimate to the maximum 30 days allowed.