Thread: October surprise: FBI opens new Clinton email investigation

October surprise: FBI opens new Clinton email investigation

10/28/16 01:06 PM EDT

The FBI on Friday said it is assessing new emails "pertinent" to the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, a stunning and unexpected move that comes over a week before the presidential election.

In a letter sent to lawmakers on Friday, FBI Director James Comey said the bureau has learned of the existence of more emails "that appear to be pertinent to the investigation." The messages were found "in connection with an unrelated case," Comey wrote without further explanation.After being briefed by his team, Comey "agreed that the FBI should take appropriate investigative steps" to determine whether the emails "contain classified information, as well as to asses their importance to our investigation."

Comey said he could not predict how long it would take the bureau to assess whether the new emails are "significant," meaning the investigation could hang over Clinton's head through the election.

The FBI’s surprise announcement jolted the presidential race, thrusting the controversy over Clinton’s use of a private email system for government business back into the political spotlight with just 11 days until Election Day.

Clinton's Republican opponent, Donald Trump, has attacked her over the server, arguing it should disqualify her from being president. He seized on the FBI's decision at a rally on Friday afternoon as he seeks to make up ground in the polls.

"Hillary Clinton's corruption is on a scale we have never seen before," Trump said to thunderous chants of "lock her up" in Manchester, N.H.

"We must not let her take her criminal scheme into office. I have great respect for the FBI and Department of Justice are now willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake they made."

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in a statement said Clinton should be denied the classified intelligence briefings that are given to presidential nominees.

“Yet again, Hillary Clinton has nobody but herself to blame. She was entrusted with some of our nation’s most important secrets, and she betrayed that trust by carelessly mishandling highly classified information," Ryan said in a statement.

"This decision, long overdue, is the result of her reckless use of a private email server, and her refusal to be forthcoming with federal investigators. I renew my call for the Director of National Intelligence to suspend all classified briefings for Secretary Clinton until this matter is fully resolved."

Yet Comey's brief letter Friday left many things unanswered. Some questioned the timing of the announcement and said the FBI owes the public a fuller explanation.

"Director Comey should give a more complete explanation. Is this reviewing newly found emails? Is this reopening? Too much at stake," tweeted John Weaver, who worked on the presidential campaign of Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R).

The FBI in July finished its yearlong probe into whether the former secretary of State mishandled classified information on her personal server.

Comey at the time called Clinton "extremely careless" but declined to recommend criminal charges to the Justice Department, outraging Republicans who said she should have been indicted.

The FBI director repeatedly said Clinton's use of the server did not rise to the level of criminal behavior because investigators were unable to amass any evidence that she had intended to mishandle classified information. The probe did reveal that some information marked classified at the time passed through her servers.

Clinton has apologized for her use of the private setup, calling it a "mistake."

The FBI investigation has been under fierce scrutiny from lawmakers, Trump and conservative groups who believe Clinton received preferential treatment from the Justice Department under President Obama's administration.

The bureau has made public hundreds of pages of documents related to the probe, including the official summaries of interviews done by investigators, and the State Department is releasing batches of emails uncovered during the investigation.

Critics of the Justice Department's decision not to charge Clinton in the case have seized on individual revelations in these documents as evidence that the investigation was mishandled.

Earlier on Friday, the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch announced a lawsuit against the FBI, citing "an air of corruption" and seeking records related to its work.

Comey has defended the integrity of the probe.

“You can call us wrong, but don’t call us weasels. We are not weasels,” Comey said at a House Judiciary Committee hearing in September. “We are honest people, and whether or not you agree with the result, this was done the way you want it to be done."

NBC News first reported the existence of Comey's letter on Friday.

The full text of Comey's letter reads:

In previous congressional testimony, I referred to the fact that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had completed its investigation of former Secretary Clinton’s personal email server. I am writing to supplement my previous testimony.

In connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation. I am writing to inform you that the investigative team briefed me on this yesterday, and I agree that the FBI should take appropriate investigative steps designed to allow investigators to review these emails to determine whether the contain classified information, as well as to assess their importance to our investigation.

Although the FBI cannot yet assess whether or not this material may be significant, and I cannot predict how long it will take us to complete the additional work, I believe it is important to update your Committees about our efforts in light of my previous testimony.

Updated at 2:24 p.m.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-s...-investigation

FBI under pressure to provide more details



10/28/16 02:02 PM EDT

The FBI is facing pressure to offer additional details about its decision to launch a new investigation into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s private email server.

Director James Comey’s letter to Congress notifying lawmakers about “emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation” appeared too vague for an announcement sure to shake up the presidential race with less than two weeks until Election Day, critics on both sides of the aisle said.

“Director Comey should give a more complete explanation,” John Weaver, an aide to Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), said on Twitter. "Too much at stake."

John Weaver @JWGOP

Director Comey should give a more complete explanation. Is this reviewing newly found emails? Is this reopening? Too much at stake.
10:30 AM - 28 Oct 2016 · Austin, TX, United States

John Cornyn (Texas), the No. 2 Senate Republican, appeared to echo the criticism by retweeting an NBC reporter’s question on whether the "public deserve more" and pressing the issue himself.

JohnCornyn ✔ @JohnCornyn Why is FBI doing this just 11 days before the election?
10:44 AM - 28 Oct 2016

Paul Krugman ✔ @paulkrugman Comey needs to provide full info immediately. Otherwise he has clearly made a partisan intervention, betraying his office.
10:32 AM - 28 Oct 2016


Comey’s letter to several congressional committees on Friday afternoon sent a shockwave through the political world, reopening a vulnerability that Clinton’s presidential campaign has only barely managed to put at bay.

The substance of the new emails appears unclear, as do details of the FBI’s action.

Federal investigators had previously determined that, although Clinton was “extremely careless” with her private email setup, she did not intentionally try to circumvent laws protecting sensitive information and so did not break the law. It’s unclear how the discovery of additional emails might affect that determination.

In his letter on Friday, Comey wrote that the FBI “cannot yet assess whether or not this material may be significant” and refused to describe how long the additional work might take.

However, it is sure to loom over the remaining 11 days before Election Day, offering Republican nominee Donald Trump ammunition to hammer the former secretary of State.

Comey had previously been the target of criticism from both sides this summer, when he held a news conference outlining the FBI’s decision not to recommend charges against Clinton or her aides and then detailed the thinking repeatedly on Capitol Hill.

Critics accused him of betraying a double standard by refusing to charge Clinton, while some legal scholars warned that he had set a dangerous precedent by outlining evidence against a person who was not charged with a crime.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-s...-clinton-probe

Being reported that new information recovered as a result of the Anthony Weiner investigation.

October 28, 2016, 01:46 pm

Speaker Ryan: Clinton's classified briefings should be suspended



Speaker Paul Ryan blasted Hillary Clinton over the Friday news that the FBI is launching a new review into her use of a private email server while secretary of State.In a statement released minutes after the news broke, the Wisconsin Republican reasserted his call for Clinton to be denied the classified briefings she receives because she is the Democratic presidential nominee."Yet again, Hillary Clinton has nobody but herself to blame. She was entrusted with some of our nation’s most important secrets, and she betrayed that trust by carelessly mishandling highly classified information," he said.

"This decision, long overdue, is the result of her reckless use of a private email server, and her refusal to be forthcoming with federal investigators. I renew my call for the Director of National Intelligence to suspend all classified briefings for Secretary Clinton until this matter is fully resolved."

FBI Director James Comey wrote in a letter to Congress released Friday afternoon that the FBI is launching a new investigation after finding "that appear pertinent" in an unrelated probe.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/...bi-email-probe

She has proven that she can't be trusted with classified info......So.....REVOKE HER SECURITY CLEARANCE ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hillary Clinton Campaign Attacks FBI Director James Comey; Demands Transparency



28 Oct 2016

Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign implied that F.B.I. Director James Comey was meddling in the presidential election, after he sent a letter to Congress informing them of new information in Clinton’s investigation into her private email server

“It is extraordinary that we would see something like this just 11 days out from a presidential election,” Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta said, in a strongly worded statement to reporters.

Podesta argued that Comey did not use the word “reopening” when discussing the new information in the investigation. He reminded reporters that Comey “completed” the case in July, finding Clinton innocent.

Podesta also called into doubt the new information that was discovered, calling for Comey to release it immediately.

“[W]e have no idea what those emails are and the Director himself notes they may not even be significant,” Podesta said.

Podesta suggested that Comey was falling prey to Republicans who repeatedly questioned his investigation, and demanded he release further details.

“The Director owes it to the American people to immediately provide the full details of what he is now examining,” he said. “We are confident this will not produce any conclusions different from the one the FBI reached in July.”

http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presid...r-james-comey/

Hillary Clinton Smiles And Waves After Reporters Ask About Reopened Server Investigation



28 Oct 2016

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton ignored shouted questions about the F.B.I.’s decision to reopen an investigation of her private email server. Instead, the former Secretary of State only smiled and waved as she got into a waiting SUV.

Clinton landed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but remained inside the plane for about 25 minutes before deplaning.

Jennifer Epstein ✔ @jeneps

Clinton spent almost 25 mins on plane after it parked in Cedar Rapids, likely trying to figure out what happened while she was in the air
11:08 AM - 28 Oct 2016


Clinton arrived at her rally at about 1:45 CT but did not mention the news after taking the stage.

“It’s a beautiful day in Cedar Rapids!” she said, adding that she was “excited” and “happy” to be in the city.

Reporters traveling with Clinton reported that there was no wi-fi on the flight, but some of them got a cell phone signal as the plane approached the runway.

A Clinton aide declined to comment about the investigation, according to reporters.
“We’re learning about this just like you all are,” the aide said.

Phil Mattingly Verified account ‏@Phil_Mattingly

Of note as we wait for Clinton: plane had no wi-fi today. One adviser after we landed: "We're learning about this just like you all are."



http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presid...investigation/

FBI Revelations Ruin Hillary Clinton’s Big Day in Iowa



28 Oct 2016

The FBI’s decision Friday to further probe emails related to its previous investigation of Hillary Clinton sent shockwaves through the Democratic candidate’s campaign on what was supposed to be a triumphant day for the candidate campaigning in Iowa.

Clinton landed in Iowa late Friday morning as the letter from FBI Director James Comey to Congressional leaders was made public. According to the Associated Press, Clinton remained on her campaign plane for around 25 minutes before disembarking, after which famed photographer Annie Leibovitz could be seen exiting the aircraft behind her.

The AP reports that Leibovitz was conducting a photo shoot with the candidate “for at least part of the time” that reporters were waiting for Clinton to deplane.

Ruby Cramer Verified account ‏@rubycramer

Clinton delay on tarmac wasn't about the FBI, it turns out. Pool report notes that Annie Leibovitz came off after, likely had a photo shoot.



Ruby Cramer ✔ @rubycramer Clinton delay on tarmac wasn't about the FBI, it turns out. Pool report notes that Annie Leibovitz came off after, likely had a photo shoot.
11:22 AM - 28 Oct 2016 · Cedar Rapids, IA, United States



Politico reporter Gabriel Debenedetti wrote on social media Friday afternoon that staffers and reporters first received the news of the FBI letter as Clinton’s campaign plane began descending into cell phone range closer to Iowa. The plane’s Wi-Fi had reportedly been disabled on the flight.

Clinton was scheduled to campaign in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Friday afternoon with a speech geared toward women. Clinton’s childhood friend Betsy Ebeling reportedly accompanied the candidate on the flight to Iowa, and Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards and Emily’s List president Stephanie Schriock were scheduled to appear at the rally.

Clinton did not mention the latest FBI probe in her speech Friday in Iowa, according to the Associated Press. The candidate warned supporters of the importance of voting and of not becoming complacent, calling Trump’s “scorched earth” campaign strategy “the last refuge of a bankrupt candidate.”

http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presid...-big-day-iowa/

Originally Posted by grandmasmad

She has proven that she can't be trusted with classified info......So.....REVOKE HER SECURITY CLEARANCE ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Remember she is the one who leaked out how long it takes to trigger our nuclear weapons arsenal at the debates on worldwide television. She can't be trusted with anything. She is a lying, crooked, dishonest incompetent. America must wake up to the fact that we CAN NOT choose Presidents based on their race or gender. We have Bumbling Obama and Crooked Hillary solely because Obama is black and Hillary is a woman. Where has it gotten US? $20 trillion in debt, 94 million Americans out of the work force, millions more on food stamps and Medicaid, tens of millions of illegal aliens roaming the country, and military conflicts all over the world.

This is NOT what we pay these people to do. We pay them to protect the economy, trade, borders, money and peace. These BIMBOS have done the complete opposite. Their experience isn't right, their souls aren't right, their ideologies aren't right, their skill sets aren't right. They're all 100% wrong!!

Donald Trump has all the right experience, the right soul, the right ideology and the right skill set to fix our country and correct the mistakes of these crooked incompetents who created this mess to begin with. And it didn't just start with Obama and Hillary, there is plenty of blame to lay on Bush I, Bush II and Bill Clinton before them. They just made it far worse because they are totally incompetent and didn't know when to quit or cut and run.

Biden: Hillary Didn’t Recognize ‘Gravity’ Of Setting Up Private Email Server

28 Oct 2016

In a preview from and interview that will air on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Vice President Joe Biden defended Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s use of a private unsecured email server during her tenure as secretary of state for the Obama administration.

Biden said, “Well, I think it’s a combination of a couple of things. One, I don’t think she understood the gravity of setting it up. She thought it was you know this is okay to do. This woman has been so battered over 30 years. I think then when faced with, ‘This is a problem,’ I think instead of just cutting it and dealing with it immediately, there’s always an inclination to overthink it.”

http://www.breitbart.com/video/2016/...-email-server/