article_snippet: Washington (CNN)The U.S. ambassador who resigned his post in 2012 amidst official criticism that his used a private email account for official business told CNN Friday that his was "very surprised" to learn that his boss at the time, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, had been doing essentially the same thing at the same time.
article_snippet: Gration noted that Cheryl Mills, the then-State Department Chief of Staff "obviously knew Hillary Clinton's was using commercial email, yet Hillary Clinton's stated my use of Gmail was one of the reasons I had to move on.
article_snippet: It didn't make sense to me that State Department would ban my 'Gmail.com' while letting all other commercial and foreign accounts through State Department computer firewall,
article_snippet: Spokespeople at State Department repeatedly declined to address whether any sort of double standard had been applied and instead continually noted that in the State Department Inspector General report  about the U.S. embassy being run by Gration there were "several concerns with management and leadership" discussed, not just about Gration use of private email.
article_snippet: the State Department Inspector General report  about the U.S. embassy being run by Gration charged that Gration "lost the respect and confidence of Staff to lead the mission" and "damaged the cohesion of Embassy Nairobi's country team.
article_snippet: Gration said Gration makes "no apology for 'rocking the boat' in State Department to improve physical security, to enhance cyber policy, and to conduct several other initiatives that the State Department Inspector General misrepresented to build the case that Secretary Clinton's Chief of Staff used to terminate my tenure as the U.S. ambassador in 2012.
article_snippet: State Department continued referencing of the other allegations against Gration came amidst fruitless attempts by CNN to ask the department spokespeople to explain why it was acceptable for Secretary Clinton to use private email to conduct official business given that the State Department Inspector General report  about the U.S. embassy being run by Gration Gration repeatedly hammered Gration for the use of "commercial email for official government business" which was considered to be "flouting of direct instructions to adhere to State Department policy.
article_snippet: As CNN reported Thursday, the State Department Inspector General report  about the U.S. embassy being run by Gration stated clearly that the State Department Inspector General report  about the U.S. embassy being run by Gration "is State Department's general policy that normal day-to-day operations be conducted on an authorized information system, which has the proper level of security controls," the State Department Inspector General report  about the U.S. embassy being run by Gration stated.
article_snippet: Gration said that Gration "experience was somewhat different than Secretary Clinton's use of Secretary Clinton commercial account, yet I was 'fired' for the use of Gmail in the U.S. Embassy, my insistence on improving our physical security posture, and other twisted and false allegations.  
article_snippet: He said that "the State Department Inspector General investigators and Diplomatic Security cyber investigators conducted a full and formal investigation into my use of Gmail and the State Department computers" and "the State Department Inspector General investigators and Diplomatic Security cyber investigators dismissed the allegations against He.
highlights_snippet: ambassador forced to resign in 2012 amidst criticism over personal email use at the State Department.
  
highlights_snippet: Claims accusations against ambassador unwarranted.
highlights_snippet: ambassador took issue with State Dept. security protocol because State Dept. security protocol used the same firewall as Gmail.
  