Hillary Clinton blames concussion for memory loss: FBI notes
US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton told the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) she couldn’t recall every briefing on preserving records from the time when she suffered a concussion.
Clinton told the FBI she “could not recall any briefing or training by State related to the retention of federal records or handling classified information,” according to the bureau’s notes of their July interview with Clinton, released on Friday.
“Clinton said she received no instructions or direction regarding the preservation or production of records from State during the transition out of her role as secretary of State in 2013,” read the FBI’s notes.
“However, in December of 2012, Clinton suffered a concussion and then around the New Year had a blood clot [in her head]. Based on her doctor’s advice, she could only work at State for a few hours a day and could not recall every briefing she received.”
Clinton has come under fire for using a private email account and server at her home in New York for official emails when during her tenure as secretary of state between 2009 and 2013.
Critics, including Republican presidential election rival Donald Trump, say she endangered government secrets and evaded transparency laws.
Clinton was questioned by the FBI over whether she had been briefed on how to preserve government records as she was about to leave the State Department
It’s not clear whether Clinton told federal investigators concussion directly affected her memory.
Recently, a series of unsubstantiated reports have questioned Clinton’s well-being, claiming that she never fully recovered from the blood clot that she suffered in her brain in December 2012.
The rumors gained more momentum after Trump questioned the former First Lady’s well-being.
Clinton, 68, addressed the issue during an appearance on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel” last week, saying the allegations were part of a “wacky strategy” by the GOP to gain more votes.
“Back in October, the National Enquirer said I’d be dead in six months. So with every breath I take, I feel like it’s a new lease on life,” the former secretary of state joked.
