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Clinton IT Staffer Pleads Fifth 130 Times, Transcript Shows

Bryan Pagliano, a former State Department employee who helped set up and maintain a private email server used by Hillary Rodham Clinton, departs Capitol Hill, Sept. 10, 2015, in Washington.
Cliff Owen/AP Photo

ByGood Morning America

June 23, 2016, 9:47 PM

 -- Hillary Clinton's former IT staffer, once responsible for maintaining her private computer server, refused to answer questions from lawyers about her email setup and invoked his Fifth Amendment right 130 times during a deposition this week, according to a transcript of the deposition.

Bryan Pagliano was deposed Wednesday as part of a lawsuit concerning Clinton's email account brought by the conservative group Judicial Watch. The transcript of that deposition was posted online today.

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A total of 14 lawyers were present during the deposition. The sniping began immediately, with one of Pagliano's attorneys objecting to the first question -- claiming it was outside the scope of discovery to inquire whether or not Mr. Pagliano could answer questions truthfully.

As for Pagliano, aside from stating his full name and answering "yes" to a few procedural questions (such as whether or not his name had been pronounced correctly), everything else he uttered was the same: "On the advice of counsel, I will decline to answer your question in reliance on my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution."

Judicial Watch has a long history of waging legal battles with the Clinton family. In this case, it seeks to show that one of Clinton top staffers, Huma Abedin, broke rules relating to her government employment status and work with outside groups.

Clinton has said that Adebin’s employment status with both the State Department and an outside group was approved under State Department rules at the time.

The federal judge overseeing the case has sought to learn more about Clinton's use of that controversial private email account as part of the discovery process, and has approved plans for the plaintiff to depose a number of Clinton's former and current staffers.

Pagliano had previously struck an immunity deal with the Justice Department in exchange for his cooperation with the FBI's security investigation into Clinton's email server, which is separate from this litigation.

Pagliano also refused to answer questions to the House Select Committee on Benghazi when he was called to testify behind closed doors late last year.