Media lawyers argue that videos of Clinton aides and others testifying in the case are of intense, legitimate public interest. | AP Photo Media urge judge to release Clinton email deposition videos Recordings are 'most complete and accurate record' of Clinton aides' testimony, news outlets say

More than a dozen news outlets and media organizations are asking a federal judge to "revisit" an order sealing videotapes of testimony top aides to Hillary Clinton gave in a lawsuit related to her use of a private email server as secretary of state.

The access dispute seems likely to evolve quickly into a more politically-explosive question of whether video of Clinton herself testifying should be made public if the judge ultimately orders her to sit for a deposition in the case.


In a letter filed Thursday with U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan, media lawyers argue that videos of Clinton aides and others testifying in the case are of intense, legitimate public interest in light of Clinton's status as the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.

The media submission also argues that the recordings provide the best evidence of testimony given in the course of the Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, superior to transcripts that were publicly released by the conservative group pursuing the suit, Judicial Watch.

"Because a central issue in this case — former Secretary Clinton’s use of a nongovernmental email account while at the State Department — is a central issue in the ongoing presidential race, full access to the depositions taken in this matter is of heightened importance to the public," wrote Bruce Brown and Katie Townsend of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

FBI Director James Comey's announcement last week in which he declined to recommend criminal charges related to the email set-up, but faulted Clinton and aides for "extremely careless" practices with sensitive information "reinvigorated public interest" in the issue, Brown and Townsend added.

In May, lawyers for former Clinton Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills asked Sullivan to block release of videos of her deposition, citing concerns "that snippets or soundbites of the deposition may be publicized in a way that exploits Ms. Mills’ image and voice in an unfair and misleading manner."

The new media filing says that concern is misplaced.

"Indeed, contrary to Ms. Mills’ assertion that the audiovisual recording of her deposition could 'mislead the public,' access to the full audiovisual recordings of depositions taken in this case will provide the public with the most complete and accurate record of the deponents’ testimony," Brown and Townsend wrote.

Judicial Watch opposed limits on publication of the recordings, but Sullivan agreed to seal the video. In fact, he went even further than Mills had sought and ordered that all videos of depositions in the case be off limits to the public.

In a brief order, Sullivan called release of the videos "unnecessary," but did not elaborate on why.

"The depositions permitted by the Court are limited in scope, but relate to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's email practices during her tenure at the State Department," the judge wrote. "The public has a right to know details related to the creation, purpose and use of the clintonemail.com system. Thus, the transcripts of all depositions taken in this case will be publicly available. It is therefore unnecessary to also make the audiovisual recording of Ms. Mills' deposition public."

Sullivan is currently mulling a request from Judicial Watch to force Clinton to submit to a sworn deposition about her email arrangement. Clinton's lawyers are resisting such an appearance. The conservative group submitted more pleadings Thursday calling Clinton's testimony "essential" because of gaps in knowledge about why her private email system was created.

A hearing on the issue of a potential Clinton deposition is set for Monday in federal court in Washington.

The likely Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, is currently embroiled in a similar dispute over access to videos of depositions he gave in federal class-action lawsuits related to his Trump University real estate seminar program. Several media outlets are seeking access to those videos.

Trump's lawyers are fighting such disclosure and, at a hearing in San Diego Wednesday, an attorney for the real estate mogul cited Sullivan's May ruling sealing the videos in the Clinton email-related case as precedent for limiting access in the Trump University suits.