The Latest Hillary Clinton Emails Contain These Comic Gems

Hillary Clinton comes across as a relaxed human being—in email.

Hillary Clinton, in March 2015, addresses concerns about her use of a private email server.Dennis Van Tine/Zuma

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.


The State Department today released the fifth batch of Hillary Clinton’s emails from her time as secretary of state, as part of the ongoing effort to make public the more than 30,000 emails she sent and received while in office. The latest release includes about 6,300 pages, containing roughly 3,900 emails sent between October 2010 and September 2011, bringing the total number released so far to nearly 20,000. The State Department will continue releasing monthly batches through January 2016.

The emails offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the operations of the State Department under Clinton, with everything from mundane scheduling concerns to more serious matters of diplomacy. There are some comical gems in there, too. In this email, the White House operator did not forward Clinton’s call because she did not believe Clinton was who she said she was:

There was also the time Sen. Chris Coons’ (D-Del.) feelings were hurt because she didn’t recognize him: 

And the time she joked about “the Chinese” playing games with her email:

We were built for times like these

Russian bots are impersonating us. Trump and his allies want to silence us. AI wants to (and does!) steal our content. The list goes on. But with 50 years of experience, we know we were built for this moment: We’re ready to keep diving deep and uncovering the truth, then getting that to you right here, completely accessible and never behind a paywall.

While our work is free to read, watch, and listen to online, it’s incredibly costly to make. Court documents, travel, research: It all adds up. Because we’re a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on reader support to fund our investigations. Will you stand with us in these extraordinary times, as headlines clamour for our attention and disinformation is rampant? We can’t get the truth out without you.

We were built for times like these

Russian bots are impersonating us. Trump and his allies want to silence us. AI wants to (and does!) steal our content. The list goes on. But with 50 years of experience, we know we were built for this moment: We’re ready to keep diving deep and uncovering the truth, then getting that to you right here, completely accessible and never behind a paywall.

While our work is free to read, watch, and listen to online, it’s incredibly costly to make. Court documents, travel, research: It all adds up. Because we’re a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on reader support to fund our investigations. Will you stand with us in these extraordinary times, as headlines clamour for our attention and disinformation is rampant? We can’t get the truth out without you.

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

INDEPENDENT. BECAUSE OF YOU.

Mother Jones has no billionaires calling the shots—just readers like you making fearless reporting possible

Donate