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Getty State Department was unaware of transparency czar's donation to Hillary Clinton

The State Department was not aware that the ex-diplomat selected this week to oversee transparency and recordkeeping issues at her former agency had given the maximum $2,700 donation to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign until news reports disclosed the gift Tuesday, a State spokesman said.

"We were not aware of the contributions," spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday, noting that the new transparency coordinator, Janice Jacobs, made the gift after retiring from state last year. "It bears no relevance on her selection, one way or the other. She's the right person for the job. ... The fact that she made a donation to Hillary Clinton bears no relevance on her ability to do this job and to do it objectively and fairly."

Kerry announced Tuesday that he was bringing Jacobs back on board to improve state's responsiveness to Freedom of Information Act requests and to ensure that records of U.S. diplomacy are being properly preserved — two weaknesses at the agency highlighted by the recent furor over Hillary Clinton's use of her private email account for official business.

Kirby acknowledged that Jacobs will also play a role in the monthly releases of Clinton's emails, in compliance with an order issued by a federal judge.

Jacobs "will have, I'm sure, a voice in the process of how we do that," the spokesman said.

"There's not going to be a conflict of interest. There's no conflict of interest. None at all," Kirby insisted. He also expressed some indignance that Jacobs — a career foreign service officer — was being faulted for a political donation she made, especially after leaving the government.

"This is the United States of America. It's a democracy. People are allowed to do these kinds of things," Kirby said. "That's a very bad place to be if we’re going to start criticizing people for campaign contributions that they make in their private time, in retirement no less. I just don’t think that’s the place we want to be as a country."

However, longtime Associated Press State Department reporter Matt Lee said the issue wasn't Jacobs' right to make the donation, but the wisdom of selecting someone who had expressed a political preference for Clinton, given the role her emails have played in the State Department's recordkeeping and transparency challenges.

"It would seem to me that the department kind of shot itself in the foot here. … an unforced error," Lee said during an exchange at State's daily briefing for reporters.

"I think we understand how some people might have that perception," Kirby said, briefly conceding that some of the concerns about picking Jacobs might be legitimate. "That said, again, Amb. Jacobs was chosen for her exemplary service, particularly in this kind of area. The secretary is 100 percent convinced that she's the right person for the job."

While Kirby said there was no consideration being given to walling off Jacobs from duties related to Clinton's emails, Republicans maintained that the conflict was obvious.

"Putting a maxed out Clinton donor in charge of overseeing the process of releasing her emails doesn’t just give the appearance of a conflict of interest, it is one," Republican National Committee spokesman Michael Short said.

UPDATE (Wednesday, 4:34 P.M.): This post has been updated with comment from Short.

