Clinton Emails: DOJ Will Not File Charges Against Former Secretary of State (ABC NEWS)
The Justice Department will not file any charges against Hillary Clinton or anyone “within the scope of the investigation” into her use of personal email while Secretary of State.
On Tuesday, FBI director James Comey called Clinton “extremely careless” in her use of private email to conduct State Department business, but recommended to not file charges against Clinton.
Prosecutors at the DOJ appeared to agree with Comey’s assessment about charges.
“Late this afternoon, I met with FBI Director James Comey and career prosecutors and agents who conducted the investigation of Secretary Hillary Clinton’s use of a personal email system during her time as Secretary of State,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement.
“I received and accepted their unanimous recommendation that the thorough, year-long investigation be closed and that no charges be brought against any individuals within the scope of the investigation.”
While the email issue has dogged Clinton during the election and for more than a year, the move by the DOJ was largely expected following Comey’s statement on the investigation. Lynch had already said last week that she would accept the recommendations made by the FBI and those career prosecutors that work on her team.
The FBI completed its investigation right around the time Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, met last week with Lynch on her plane. Both parties said the meeting was not about the email issue, although it has received criticism as inappropriate because Lynch oversees the FBI.
Still, the decision against charges will likely follow Clinton during the general-election as the Democratic parties presumptive nominee. Republicans point out that Clinton was reckless with sensitive material, and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump pointed out the “the system is rigged.”
“The normal punishment, in this case, would include losing authority to handle classified information, and that too disqualifies Hillary Clinton from being president,” Trump added in a statement.
The FBI spent months looking into whether Clinton intentionally mishandled any classified information and whether her private email server had been compromised.
Comey said his team uncovered more than 100 emails that contained information that was classified. FBI investigators also found thousands of work-related emails that were not included in the 30,000 emails Clinton handed over to the State Department.
But Comey said the FBI didn’t believe those emails were intentionally concealed from investigators. espite the FBI’s finding of carelessness by Clinton and her staff, Comey said “no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case.”
