Kennedy At the Center of Hillary's Scandal Management

Less than 24 hours after the FBI released documents confirming discussions of a bargain between the FBI and State Department over reclassification of at least one classified Hillary Clinton email, the spokesman for the State Department categorically denied that any such discussions ever happened.

“There was no quid pro quo even suggested or any kind of bargain laid on the table," said John Kirby,in an interview Tuesday on Fox & Friends. "There was no bargain even suggested by these two individuals."

This is false.

Here is how the proposed quid pro quo was described in the FBI summary of its interview with an individual who worked in the FBI's International Operations Division [IOD]. "Not yet knowing the email's content, [REDACTED] told Kennedy he would look into the matter if Kennedy would provide authority concerning the FBI's request to increase its personnel in Iraq."

And here is the proposed bargain described in an interview with a second FBI official, this one the chief of the FBI records management division. "Shortly thereafter, [redacted] received a call from [redacted] of the International Operations Division [IOD] of the FBI, who 'pressured' him to change the classified email to unclassified. [Redacted] said he had been contacted by Patrick Kennedy, Undersecretary of State, who had asked his assistance in altering the email's classification in exchange for a 'quid pro quo.'" This individual described the deal this way: "In exchange for making the email unclassified State would reciprocate by allowing the FBI to place more agents in countries where they are presently forbidden."