Hillary Clinton has apologised for using a private server to send official emails during the four years she worked as US Secretary of State from 2009.
In a Facebook post overnight, she wrote she was “sorry” and admitted it was a “huge mistake”.
The Democratic presidential front-runner has faced a barrage of criticism since the revelations in March as she vies for the 2016 election.
Asked last Friday whether she was sorry, she said she was just "sorry that it had been confusing to people".
And just two days ago, she had refused to apologise, telling the Associated Press: “What I did was allowed. It was allowed by the State Department. The State Department has confirmed that.”
In a turnaround, however, she wrote on Facebook last night: “I should have used two email addresses, one for personal matters and one for my work at the State Department. Not doing so was a mistake. I'm sorry about it, and I take full responsibility.”
Clinton continued to add that while the move was a mistake, she did not break any official rules using a personal account for official business, writing that “everything was aboveboard and allowed under the State Department's rules”.
“Everyone I communicated with in government was aware of it. And nothing I ever sent or received was marked classified at the time.”
(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_GB/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));
I wanted you to hear this directly from me:Yes, I should have used two email addresses, one for personal matters and...
Posted by Hillary Clinton on Tuesday, 8 September 2015
It emerged over the weekend that Clinton paid a State Department staff member to maintain the private email server from 2009 to 2013.
The arrangement with IT specialist Bryan Pagliano helped Mrs Clinton maintain her personal control over the server and ensure taxpayers were not paying for its upkeep, The Washington Post said, citing an unnamed campaign official.
The server was also shared by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and their former aides, it said.
In her apology issued last night, she said she now wants to be "as transparent as possible", adding that she has provided all work emails to the government in order to release to the public.
"I know this is a complex story. I could have—and should have—done a better job answering questions earlier. I'm grateful for your support, and I'm not taking anything for granted," she said.
