Defense Sec. Carter Explains Use Of Personal Email Account On The Job

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter used a personal email account for government business during his first months on the job at the Pentagon, according to a Wednesday night report from the New York Times.

Carter is the second top official in the Obama Administration found to have used a personal account to conduct government business.

Carter said he “occasionally” sent “administrative emails” to his aides up “until a few months ago,” when interviewed Thursday by CBS News at an American military base in Erbil, Iraq.

“It’s a mistake, and it’s entirely my own,” Carter told CBS. “I have to hold myself to strict standards and I didn’t in this case.”

According to the Times, Carter continued using the email account for at least two months even after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was found to only use a personal account.

A Pentagon spokesman told the Times that Carter limited his use of email.

It’s unclear how many work-related emails were sent and received from the account, but the dozens obtained by the Times covered a variety of topics, from expenses to pending legislation and press interviews.

Senate Armed Service Committee Chairman John McCain told the Associated Press on Thursday that the panel will review Carter’s emails. McCain told the AP it’s “hard to believe” Carter would also use a personal email after the scrutiny faced by Clinton.