A federal judge has ordered Obama era State Department officials to answer questions from the group Judicial Watch pertaining to Hillary Clinton. The questions will specifically focus on Clinton’s use of her private email server and handling of Benghazi.

According to Town Hall:

United States District Judge Royce Lamberth on Tuesday ordered multiple senior State Department officials under the Obama administration to answer Judicial Watch’s questions related to Hillary Clinton’s email scandal and the Sept. 11, 2012 attack in Benghazi. 

“In a major victory for accountability, Judge Lamberth today authorized Judicial Watch to take discovery on whether the Clinton email system evaded FOIA and whether the Benghazi scandal was one reason for keeping Mrs. Clinton’s email secret,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement. “Today, Judicial Watch issued document requests and other discovery to the State Department about the Clinton email scandal. Next up, we will begin questioning key witnesses under oath.”

…

The watchdog group plans to grill Rice, Rhodes and Sullivan, and former FBI official Priestap on the Benghazi scandal. Judicial Watch says the State Department has objected to the questioning because they’re trying to reinforce the Obama administration’s talking points surrounding the attack, specifically about an “internet video” leading to the terrorist attacks on the American consulate, not a failure of policy. We know what the Department’s talking points were because of a declassified email that was produced as a result of a 2013 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

“Yet Rice’s talking points and State’s understanding of the attack play an unavoidably central role in this case: information about the points’ development and content, as well as their discussion and dissemination before and after Rice’s appearances could reveal unsearched, relevant records; State’s role in the points’ content and development could shed light on Clinton’s motives for shielding her emails from FOIA requesters or on State’s reluctance to search her emails,” the judge wrote.

Judicial Watch will be able to ask questions pertaining to whether Clinton intentionally tried to evade an FOIA request by using a private email server, whether the State Department acted in bad faith, and whether the State Department conducted an adequate search.

Once this round of questioning is done a judge will then determine if Judicial Watch can directly question Hillary.