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In reply to the discussion: Obama: Clinton’s Email Server Did Not Jeopardize National Security [View all]RiverNoord
(1,150 posts)The NSA's mission is signals intelligence. It's actually a military organization. The NSA can not legally snoop on cabinet-level officials' communications, although it can monitor such communications for signs of interception. It also has no direct investigative or law enforcement functions. It passes information to organizations such as the CIA, FBI, or other branches of the military for investigation or action.
The FBI has always had a major role in counterintelligence and counterespionage. Historically, the boundaries between the CIA and FBI were simple - the FBI handled domestic counterintelligence and counterespionage and the CIA handled foreign intelligence gathering, development of 'assets,' and counterespionage. The lines are definitely blurred these days, but...
the Federal Bureau of Investigation is precisely the organization that would make determinations such as whether 'national security' has been jeopardized by a particular use of technology physically located in the United States, by an American government official. It would probably make requests of the NSA for any indication that hackers, foreign or domestic, had engaged in cyber-espionage targeted at Sec. Clinton's emails. It might also seek information from the CIA concerning whether any operations or assets were compromised.
But in the end, the job is the FBI's.