Haslam uses private email on the job

In a story straight out of Hillary Clinton's playbook, NewsChannel 5's Phil Williams has discovered that Gov. Bill Haslam and his staff are using billhaslam.com email accounts as well as official government accounts to conduct state business.

We found state budget officials — from state accounts — briefing the governor himself at a billhaslam.com email address.

The governor's executive assistant, Janet McGaha, also uses billhaslam.com, corresponding in a couple of cases with then chief-of-staff Mark Cate -- again at billhaslam.com. ...

In one example, Cate used that account to email an education activist about Common Core, copying Haslam's education commissioner -- also apparently using private email.

In another case, a lobbyist emailed Cate at billhaslam.com about a letter he wanted the governor to sign.

Cate sent it on to the governor's policy director, Will Cromer, also at billhaslam.com.

The governor's office says any use of that account for official government business was "inadvertent and a rare occurrence."