As we reported three weeks ago, the notorious Romanian hacker Marcel Lazar known also as Guccifer who first exposed Hillary Clinton's private email address made a bombshell claim when he claimed that he also gained access to the former Secretary of State's "completely unsecured" server. "It was like an open orchid on the Internet," Lazar told NBC News. "There were hundreds of folders."

This took place shortly after Lazar was extradited from Romania to the US to face hacking charges.

In the latest twist, Politico reports, Lazar is now expected to plead guilty this week, clearing the way for his unfettered cooperation with federal prosecutors, suggesting that all of his heretofore unverified claims about hacking into Hillary's server will be duly investigated. If confirmed, this could open a new chapter in the FBI's criminal probe into Hillary's email use and/or abuse.

As Politico adds, Lazar is scheduled to appear in federal court in Alexandria, Va. Wednesday morning for a change of plea hearing, according to court records. A prosecution spokesman did not immediately respond to a message seeking confirmation that the guilty plea is part of a plea bargain with prosecutors. A defense attorney declined to comment. Such plea deals usually oblige a defendant to assist authorities in all ongoing investigations.

In a surprising reversal, what many thought was impossible, namely the State Department cracking down on its former head and Democratic presidential frontrunner, Hillary Clinton, seems all too possible following news that the State Department Inspector General audit has faulted Hillary Clinton, other secretaries of state for poorly managing electronic communications.

• CLINTON'S FAILURE TO SURRENDER ALL EMAILS DEALING WITH DEPARTMENT BUSINESS BEFORE LEAVING GOVERNMENT VIOLATED POLICY -INSPECTOR GENERAL

As WaPo summarizes, the IG found that Clinton’s use of private email for public business was “not an appropriate method” of preserving documents and that her practices failed to comply with department policies meant to ensure that federal record laws are followed.

The report says Clinton should have printed and saved her emails during her four years in office or surrendered her work-related correspondence immediately upon stepping down in February 2013. Instead, Clinton provided those records in December 2014, nearly two years after leaving office.

The report found that a top Clinton aide was warned in 2010 that the system may not properly preserve records but dismissed those worries, indicating that the system passed legal muster. But the inspector general said it could not show evidence of a review by legal counsel.

As Politico adds, the State Department inspector general concluded that Hillary Clinton did not comply with the agency’s policies on records, according to a report released to lawmakers on Wednesday that also revealed that Clinton and her top aides chose not to cooperate with the review.

While the State Department’s own internal probe found former Secretary Hillary Clinton violated federal recordkeeping laws, it’s not the first time she and her top aides shielded her e-mail from public disclosure while serving in a government position.

As first lady, Hillary was embroiled in another scheme to bury sensitive White House e-mails, known internally as “Project X.”

In 1999, as investigators looked into Whitewater, Travelgate, Filegate and other scandals involving the then-first lady, it was discovered that more than 1 million subpoenaed e-mails were mysteriously “lost” due to a “glitch” in a West Wing computer server.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is under investigation by the FBI and Justice Department to determine whether his 2013 gubernatorial campaign broke any fundraising laws, CNN reported Monday. The main drift of the probe appears to revolve around McAuliffe’s time as a board member of the Clinton Global Initiative and the overlap of donors to the Clinton Foundation and his campaign for governor. More than 100 donors contributed to the foundation, as well as to McAuliffe’s campaign, NBC News reports.

Simple overlap would not necessarily indicate any wrongdoing on McAuliffe’s behalf; the Clinton friend and ally has been a long-time Democratic fundraiser as head of the Democratic National Committee from 2000 to 2005 and later for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. Officials tell CNN there are no allegations against the Clinton Foundation, but that there are questions about some foreign donors, particularly Chinese businessman Wang Wenliang.

Close Clinton operative Terry McAuliffe is under federal investigation for campaign contributions from a Chinese billionaire who has also donated $2 million to the Clinton Foundation.

From CNN:

Virginia Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the FBI and prosecutors from the Justice Department’s public integrity unit, U.S. officials briefed on the probe say.

The surprise news of an FBI inquiry into Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has uncomfortable parallels to an FBI security review of his friend and political patron Hillary Clinton’s email system, but Clinton allies said it is unlikely to do her lasting harm.

McAuliffe (D) said Tuesday that he is “very confident” that the FBI will find no wrongdoing in its investigation of donations to his 2013 campaign and his personal finances. He said his reaction to news of the probe, which may have been underway for a year, was “shock.”

McAuliffe has many things in common with Bill and Hillary Clinton, his political benefactors and close friends. Along with overlapping business, political and social spheres, he shares their history of prodigious Democratic fundraising and financial dealings that have drawn scrutiny.