The FBI has recommended against charging Hillary Clinton, but still called her and her staff “careless.” (Getty)
FBI director James Comey announced today that the bureau has recommended against filing criminal charges against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton over her email scandal. Comey did say that Clinton and her staff were “extremely careless” with handling classified information while Clinton was Secretary of State though. Clinton responded to the announcement Tuesday, which came on the same day she made her first campaign appearance with President Barack Obama at the Charlotte Convention Center.
Clinton issued the following statement, posted by NBC’s Luke Russert. The statement makes no mention of the fact that the FBI found that some of the emails on Clinton’s private server did include information that was classified at the time. During her rally with Obama, there was no mention of the development.
We are pleased that the career officials handling this case have determined that no further action by the Department of Justice is appropriate. As the Secretary has long said, it was a mistake to use her personal email and she would not do it again. We are glad that his matter is now resolved.
Comey said that investigators combed through 30,000 emails and “110 e-mails in 52 e-mail chains have been determined by the owning agency to contain classified information at the time they were sent or received.” The FBI also determined that emails were not intentionally deleted.
“Some had been deleted over the years and we found traces of them on devices that supported or were connected to the private e-mail domain,” Comey said. “Others we found by reviewing the archived government e-mail accounts of people who had been government employees at the same time as Secretary Clinton, including high-ranking officials at other agencies, people with whom a Secretary of State might naturally correspond.”
Despite the classified information in the emails, Comey said the FBI determined that “no reasonable prosecutor would bring” charges against Clinton for her email use.
Of course, Clinton’s rival, Donald Trump, suggested that the fix was in.
FBI director said Crooked Hillary compromised our national security. No charges. Wow! #RiggedSystem
Senator Tim Kaine, who has been considered a vice presidential candidate for Clinton, said he wasn’t surprised by the FBI’s decision.
On Wednesday, the Department of Justice followed the FBI’s suggestion and decided against charging Clinton.
