Clinton spokesman tells CNN that Clinton understood the question to be if she was under subpoena when the emails were deleted, this past December.
House Select Committee on Benghazi Chairman Trey Gowdy disputes Clinton's claims.
WashingtonCNN
—
Hillary Clinton drew Republican fire Wednesday after falsely claiming she had never been subpoenaed for emails from her time as secretary of state.
When CNN’s Brianna Keilar asked Clinton in an exclusive interview on Tuesday about the decision to delete 33,000 emails while under investigation by a House panel, Clinton said other secretaries of state had done the “same thing.”
Keilar asked if her predecessors had also been subpoenaed, to which Clinton responded, “You’re starting with so many assumptions … I’ve never had a subpoena. Again, let’s take a deep breath here.”
But House Select Committee on Benghazi Chairman Trey Gowdy said Wednesday, “It couldn’t be more plain.”
“To state that you never received a subpoena, you did get one, in March. Your lawyer was on notice months before that, that this committee of Congress wanted your work-related emails,” the South Carolina Republican told CNN Wednesday.
Gowdy requested Clinton’s emails last December, but did not subpoena Clinton until this past March, following reports that she had maintained a personal email server.
Clinton lawyer David Kendall responded to the subpoena on March 27, writing that Clinton was awaiting approval from the State Department before providing them to the committee.
“This letter will respond to (1) the subpoena duces tecum issued by the Benghazi Select Committee to the Hon. Hillary R. Clinton and served by agreement on March 4, 2015,” Kendall wrote at the time.
Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill told CNN that Clinton understood the question to be if she was under subpoena when the emails were deleted, this past December.
“The suggestion was made that a subpoena was pending at the time. That was not accurate,” he said on Wednesday.
“In fact, Trey Gowdy did not issue a subpoena until March, months after she she’d done that review. Further, the subpoena was specifically asking for documents pertaining to Libya and the attacks on our facility in Benghazi, documents which, along with tens of thousands of others, she had already given to the Department of State,” Merrill said.
Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the Benghazi panel, called Gowdy’s hit Wednesday a “stunt.”
“It appears clear that Secretary Clinton was answering a question about whether she deleted emails ‘while facing a subpoena,’” Cummings said in a statement Wednesday.
Revelations that Clinton conducted government work through a private email server maintained at her New York home have hounded the Democratic frontrunner. Polling has consistently shown worries among voters about Clinton’s trustworthiness, although those same polls have shown her edging out her Republican competitors as well.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Hillary Clinton accepts the Democratic Party's nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 28, 2016. The former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state was the first woman to lead the presidential ticket of a major political party.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Lee Balterman/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Before marrying Bill Clinton, she was Hillary Rodham. Here she attends Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Her commencement speech at Wellesley's graduation ceremony in 1969 attracted national attention. After graduating, she attended Yale Law School.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Getty Images
Rodham was a lawyer on the House Judiciary Committee, whose work led to impeachment charges against President Richard Nixon in 1974.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
DONALD R. BROYLES/AP
In 1975, Rodham married Bill Clinton, whom she met at Yale Law School. He became the governor of Arkansas in 1978. In 1980, the couple had a daughter, Chelsea.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
A. Lynn/AP
Arkansas' first lady, now using the name Hillary Rodham Clinton, wears her inaugural ball gown in 1985.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Danny Johnston/AP
The Clintons celebrate Bill's inauguration in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1991. He was governor from 1983 to 1992, when he was elected President.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images
Bill Clinton comforts his wife on the set of "60 Minutes" after a stage light broke loose from the ceiling and knocked her down in January 1992.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
LYNNE SLADKY/AP
In June 1992, Clinton uses a sewing machine designed to eliminate back and wrist strain. She had just given a speech at a convention of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
STEPHAN SAVOIA/AP
During the 1992 presidential campaign, Clinton jokes with her husband's running mate, Al Gore, and Gore's wife, Tipper, aboard a campaign bus.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
TIM CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
Clinton accompanies her husband as he takes the oath of office in January 1993.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Getty Images
The Clintons share a laugh on Capitol Hill in 1993.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Clinton unveils the renovated Blue Room of the White House in 1995.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
AFP/Getty Images
Clinton waves to the media in January 1996 as she arrives for an appearance before a grand jury in Washington. The first lady was subpoenaed to testify as a witness in the investigation of the Whitewater land deal in Arkansas. The Clintons' business investment was investigated, but ultimately they were cleared of any wrongdoing.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images
The Clintons hug as Bill is sworn in for a second term as President.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
KATHY WILLENS/AP
The first lady holds up a Grammy Award, which she won for her audiobook "It Takes a Village" in 1997.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images
The Clintons dance on a beach in the U.S. Virgin Islands in January 1998. Later that month, Bill Clinton was accused of having a sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images
Clinton looks on as her husband discusses the Monica Lewinsky scandal in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on January 26, 1998. Clinton declared, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." In August of that year, Clinton testified before a grand jury and admitted to having "inappropriate intimate contact" with Lewinsky, but he said it did not constitute sexual relations because they had not had intercourse. He was impeached in December on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Roberto Borea/AP
The first family walks with their dog, Buddy, as they leave the White House for a vacation in August 1998.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
SUSAN WALSH/AP
President Clinton makes a statement at the White House in December 1998, thanking members of Congress who voted against his impeachment. The Senate trial ended with an acquittal in February 1999.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
KATHY WILLENS/AP
Clinton announces in February 2000 that she will seek the U.S. Senate seat in New York. She was elected later that year.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Harry Hamburg/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images
Clinton makes her first appearance on the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
Sen. Clinton comforts Maren Sarkarat, a woman who lost her husband in the September 11 terrorist attacks, during a ground-zero memorial in October 2001.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
BILL PUGLIANO/AP
Clinton holds up her book "Living History" before a signing in Auburn Hills, Michigan, in 2003.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Ronda Churchill/AP
Clinton and another presidential hopeful, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, applaud at the start of a Democratic debate in 2007.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
The Washington Post/Getty Images
Obama and Clinton talk on the plane on their way to a rally in Unity, New Hampshire, in June 2008. She had recently ended her presidential campaign and endorsed Obama.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Charles Dharapak/AP
Obama is flanked by Clinton and Vice President-elect Joe Biden at a news conference in Chicago in December 2008. He had designated Clinton to be his secretary of state.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Alexei Nikolsky/RIA Novosti/POOL/AP
Clinton, as secretary of state, greets Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during a meeting just outside Moscow in March 2010.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Getty Images
The Clintons pose on the day of Chelsea's wedding to Marc Mezvinsky in July 2010.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Pete Souza/The White House/Getty Images
In this photo provided by the White House, Obama, Clinton, Biden and other members of the national security team receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in May 2011.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Kevin Lamarque/Pool/AP
Clinton checks her Blackberry inside a military plane after leaving Malta in October 2011. In 2015, The New York Times reported that Clinton exclusively used a personal email account during her time as secretary of state. The account, fed through its own server, raises security and preservation concerns. Clinton later said she used a private domain out of "convenience," but admits in retrospect "it would have been better" to use multiple emails.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Brendan Smialowski/AP
Clinton arrives for a group photo before a forum with the Gulf Cooperation Council in March 2012. The forum was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
Obama and Clinton bow during the transfer-of-remains ceremony marking the return of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, who were killed in Benghazi, Libya, in September 2012.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Isaac Brekken/Getty Images
Clinton ducks after a woman threw a shoe at her while she was delivering remarks at a recycling trade conference in Las Vegas in 2014.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Douglas Gorenstein/NBC/Getty Images
Clinton, now running for President again, performs with Jimmy Fallon during a "Tonight Show" skit in September 2015.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Melina Mara/The Washington Post/Getty Images
Clinton testifies about the Benghazi attack during a House committee meeting in October 2015. "I would imagine I have thought more about what happened than all of you put together," she said during the 11-hour hearing. "I have lost more sleep than all of you put together. I have been wracking my brain about what more could have been done or should have been done." Months earlier, Clinton had acknowledged a "systemic breakdown" as cited by an Accountability Review Board, and she said that her department was taking additional steps to increase security at U.S. diplomatic facilities.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
ADAM ROSE/CNN
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders shares a lighthearted moment with Clinton during a Democratic presidential debate in October 2015. It came after Sanders gave his take on the Clinton email scandal. "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about the damn emails," Sanders said. "Enough of the emails. Let's talk about the real issues facing the United States of America."
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Evan Vucci/AP
Clinton is reflected in a teleprompter during a campaign rally in Alexandria, Virginia, in October 2015.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Clinton walks on her stage with her family after winning the New York primary in April.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
@hillaryclinton/Twitter
After Clinton became the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee, this photo was posted to her official Twitter account. "To every little girl who dreams big: Yes, you can be anything you want -- even president," Clinton said. "Tonight is for you."
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Obama hugs Clinton after he gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. The president said Clinton was ready to be commander in chief. "For four years, I had a front-row seat to her intelligence, her judgment and her discipline," he said, referring to her stint as his secretary of state.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/Getty Images
Clinton arrives at a 9/11 commemoration ceremony in New York on September 11. Clinton, who was diagnosed with pneumonia two days before, left early after feeling ill. A video appeared to show her stumble as Secret Service agents helped her into a van.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Clinton addresses a campaign rally in Cleveland on November 6, two days before Election Day. She went on to lose Ohio -- and the election -- to her Republican opponent, Donald Trump.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
Andrew Harnik/AP
After conceding the presidency to Trump in a phone call earlier, Clinton addresses supporters and campaign workers in New York on Wednesday, November 9. Her defeat marked a stunning end to a campaign that appeared poised to make her the first woman elected US president.
Asked by CNN about her trustworthiness, Clinton said, “People should and do trust me.”
Clinton, speaking in first nationally televised interview as a White House contender, argued that previous secretaries of state had used personal email servers and said she had broken no laws relying on her “homebrew” server.
“Well, let’s start from the beginning. Everything I did was permitted. There was no law. There was no regulation. There was nothing that did not give me the full authority to decide how I was going to communicate,” Clinton told Keilar. “Previous secretaries of state have said they did the same thing. And people across the government knew that I used one device – maybe it was because I am not the most technically capable person and wanted to make it as easy as possible.”