Fox News anchor Bret Baier apologized Friday for reporting earlier this week that the FBI is “likely” moving toward an indictment in its investigation of the Clinton Foundation.
Here is my 11am live shot –about the Clinton investigations and my reporting of them. https://t.co/8wAzzkDiy3
— Bret Baier (@BretBaier) November 4, 2016
Baier delivered that shocking news on Wednesday, but other news outlets quickly said there was no evidence for that. Baier initially said his wording was “inartful,” but at 11 a.m. Friday, he offered a full apology for going too far.
“No matter what the working assumption is within the bureau, all the time, but especially in a heated election on a topic this explosive, every word matters, no matter how well-sourced,” he said.
He said that when asked if the investigation would continue into whether Clinton Foundation donors got special access at the State Department if Clinton becomes the next president, he said they would.
“I answered that, ‘yes,’ our sources said it would, they would continue to likely an indictment,” he said Friday. “Well, it just wasn’t inartful, it was a mistake, and for that I’m sorry.
“I should have said they will continue to build their case,” he said. “Indictment is obviously a very loaded word … especially in this atmosphere, and no one knows if there would or would not be an indictment no matter how strong investigators feel their evidence is.”
Baier said Fox News’ sources have confirmed that there is an active investigation into the Clinton Foundation, and that it’s a priority for those working on it.
“We have also reported there is a split, not only between the FBI and the Department of Justice on this, but within the FBI,” he said.
He also said officials have told Fox that they are assuming Hillary Clinton’s private server was hacked, although there are no “digital fingerprints” confirming that suspicion. But he said the hacking of that server is still just “probable” given the lack of firm evidence.
