The suggestion that some of the data Clinton said she erased from her private e-mail server might still exist came as the Democrat turned over her server to government officials, who are investigating whether classified material might have been improperly exposed. Clinton and some of her closest aides used private e-mail accounts while she was the nation’s top diplomat.

Clinton’s server was held in a secure data center operated by “a third-party” in New Jersey when it was handed over to the FBI on Wednesday, said Wells. She declined to identify the third party.

The FBI’s examination of the private e-mail server used by Clinton could yield useful information, such as private communications thought to be deleted and evidence as to whether the device was hacked.

Or it could turn up nothing.