FBI Director James Comey announced Tuesday that despite evidence Hillary Clinton was “extremely careless” in her handling of classified emails on a private server, the Department of Justice would not recommend charges being brought against the former secretary of state.
“Our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case,” Comey said.
Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, did not immediately respond. Her Republican rival, Donald Trump, did — blasting the FBI’s recommendation.
“FBI director said Crooked Hillary compromised our national security. No charges. Wow! #RiggedSystem” he tweeted.
The decision helps remove what was arguably the biggest threat to her presidential campaign going forward – a criminal referral that could have led to an indictment – just weeks before her party’s national convention in Philadelphia where she is set to seal her nomination as the Democrat standard bearer.
Clinton consistently had downplayed the FBI investigation, even calling it a “security review,” and as recently as June 3 said there was “absolutely no possibility” she’d be indicted. Weeks ago, a scathing State Department inspector general report directly countered her long-running claim that her personal email use was allowed, though her campaign continued to defend the candidate’s actions.
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