Another House Committee is questioning a senior agency official of his use of a personal address for conducting government business.
Several Science, Space, and Technology Committee Republicans sent a letter to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz asking for documentation with details on testimony he provided to Congress about using a personal email account for government business.
The Congressman stated in the letter “During your testimony, you stated that you were unaware that information has been apparently withheld in response to Freedom of Information Act requests where responsive information is housed on your personal email account. The Committee is concerned that these email practices, if true, raise significant information security concerns…”
The letter continued, “The recent OIG report concerning Department [of Energy] employees’ use of personal email and recent media reports indicate that the use of personal email for official business within the Deparment [of Energy] is apparently widespread and continues to occur without guidelines in place addressing and/or prohibiting the use of personal email.”
Among the items requested by the Committee by April 6, 2016 were a list of all GS-15 and above employees known to have personal email accounts along with their office and duty locations as well as the first email sent by Secretary Moniz from his personal account for work purposes.
A copy of the letter is included below.
It seems the use of personal email among senior level federal employees has been popping up in the news more recently, and the recent activity from Congressional Committees is no doubt happening as a result.
The most high profile case is focused on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton over the use of a private email server run out of her home.
And the House Committee on Oversight and Government reform is also investigating the use of personal email accounts within the Department of Defense. The Committee sent a letter last week to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter threatening legal action over the Defense Department’s failure to comply with with prior requests for information.
House Committee letter to Energy Secretary Regarding Use of Personal Email
