WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Ash Carter is acknowledging that he used a personal email account to conduct some government business during his first months on the job. In an interview with CBS during a trip to the Middle East, Carter called it "a mistake" — and one that was entirely his own.
The same practice by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has drawn intense criticism and led to an FBI investigation into two emails that are now considered top secret.
Carter said he used his iPhone to send "administrative messages." He said none contained classified information and all were backed up for record keeping on the Defense Department email system.
In a statement, Sen. John McCain, who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee, said it was "hard to believe" that Carter would exercise what McCain calls "the same error in judgment" in light of the attention for Clinton’s email use.
McCain said the committee has requested copies of the emails and will conduct a review "to ensure sensitive information was not compromised."
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