Clinton declines to apologise for nagging email controversy

Even as a special intelligence review revealed that some emails on Hillary Clinton's personal account contained highly classified information, the Democratic frontrunner declined to apologise for the controversy saying what she did was allowed.

The review endorsed a finding by the inspector general for the intelligence agencies that a couple of emails contained highly classified information when Clinton received them while working as secretary of state, the New York Times reported citing senior intelligence officials.

Clinton's presidential campaign disagreed with the conclusion of the intelligence review and suggested that agencies within the government often have different views of what should be considered classified, the Times said.

The intelligence review added more fuel to the controversy surrounding Clinton's use of only a private email account for official business that has pulled down her poll numbers in key states and raised questions about her trustworthiness.

Clinton has said that her emails contained no information that was marked classified and that she is fully cooperating with an FBI investigation into how classified materials were handled on her personal email account.

Campaigning in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Clinton insisted in an interview with AP that she doesn't need to apologise for her nagging email controversy because "what I did was allowed."

"(The email controversy) hasn't in any way affected the plan for our campaign, the efforts we're making to organize here in Iowa and elsewhere in the country," Clinton said.

"And I still feel very confident about the organization and the message that my campaign is putting out."

Republican presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina Monday accused Clinton of lying on the email controversy and predicted that the Democrat would soon will renew gender-based attacks on Republicans.

"The truth is Clinton has lied as secretary of state about Benghazi, about her emails, about her server," Fiorina said on Fox News.

"And so when she revives this 'war on women' -- and make no mistake she will -- this is her go-to line."

"First of all, boo hoo, Clinton," former HP CEO said when asked about Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Bernie Sanders' rise in the polls and talk of her reviving the "war on women" attack on Republicans.

She also asked why Republican frontrunner Donald Trump is not training more of his attacks on Clinton,

"I actually wish Mr. Trump would throw a little more heat Hillary Clinton's way," said Fiorina who has gained a strong footing in the Republican field since the first presidential debate though she is still trailing Trump and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.

Meanwhile, adding to Clinton's headaches were stronger signals that Vice President Joe Biden may join the presidential race.

On a Labour Day trip to Pittsburgh, Biden, 72, deflected questions about whether he would indeed jump into the race to challenge Clinton and Sanders for the Democratic nomination.

But, according to a CNN report Biden later gently teased a group of steelworkers, saying the press would portray his visit to Pittsburgh as a sign he was "competing with Bernie Sanders, who is doing a helluva job by the way."

When a man yelled out he should run for the White House, Biden replied: "You gotta talk to my wife about that."

Small groups of Sanders supporters held up home made signs and watched Biden pass, CNN said. But there was no evidence of Clinton backers in the crowd.