Judge opens the door to Clinton deposition in email case

Judge Emmet Sullivan of the US District Court for the District of Columbia opened the door to interviewing Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton as part of a review into her use of a private e-mail server while secretary of State. Judge Sullivan laid out the ground rules for interviewing multiple State Department officials about the e-mails, with an eye toward finishing the depositions in the weeks before the party nominating conventions. Clinton herself may be forced to answer questions under oath, Judge Sullivan said, though she is not yet being forced to take that step.

“Based on information learned during discovery, the deposition of Mrs Clinton may be necessary,” Judge Sullivan said in an order. Discovery is the formal name for the evidence-gathering process, which includes depositions. “If plaintiff believes Mrs. Clinton’s testimony is required, it will request permission from the Court at the appropriate time.” The order leaves open the possibility that Clinton will be forced to answer detailed questions on the eve of her formal selection as the Democratic presidential nominee about her creation of the server. Any deposition would surely roil the presidential race and force her campaign to confront the issue, which has dogged her for a year.