WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The State Department said last week that it had completed the search process for the TPP-related emails but would not release them until weeks after the November 2016 election, David Sirota of the International Business Times reported.
The TPP agreement seeks to deregulate trade among 12 signatory nations that comprise 40 percent of the world economy. They include the United States, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
In 2012, Clinton praised the pending free trade deal as the "gold standard" for trade agreements. She expressed support for the deal again in 2013 but spoke against the deal early in her presidential campaign after being pressured by labor unions.
Critics of the TPP agreement argue the trade deal was concluded under unusual secrecy and will significantly undermine standards and regulations on environmental protection, health and safety, as well as workers’ rights.
Clinton has come under significant criticism for using a private server and email address for official business during her tenure as secretary of state from 2009 until 2013. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is conducting a criminal investigation into the matter.
