FBI investigators will exonerate Hillary Clinton for the second time this year, a top House Democrat said in response to news that the agency found new emails “pertinent” to the probe of Clinton’s private email server.
“Nothing in today’s letter suggests that the FBI or the Department of Justice will reach a different conclusion than the one they reached months ago, when they decided criminal prosecution was unwarranted,” Michigan Rep. John Conyers, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said Friday.
FBI Director James Comey shocked D.C. with a short letter to several members of Congress that said he was reopening the Clinton email investigation.
“In connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation,” he wrote. “I agreed that the FBI should take appropriate investigative steps designed to allow investigators to review these emails to determine whether they contain classified information, as well as to assess their importance to our investigation.”
The new emails reportedly were obtained during an investigation of former Rep. Anthony Weiner’s sexting scandal; the New York Democrat is the estranged husband of longtime Clinton aide Huma Abedin.
Comey’s letter, cryptic as it was, led Republicans to believe that Clinton may be at risk of indictment once again, despite Comey’s earlier decision not to recommend that the Justice Department charge Clinton for her “extremely careless” handling of classified information.
“Whatever new evidence has been found should be thoroughly investigated, and I hope that — unlike with the prior investigation — Director Comey will demonstrate the courage to uphold the law and restore the integrity of the FBI,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said in response to the letter. “Elected officials, no matter how high their position, should be held accountable for criminal conduct. The rule of law matters, and it should apply equally and fairly to us all.”
Conyers dismissed such statements as wishful thinking. “Donald Trump and his allies seem to put their faith in the integrity of the FBI only when it serves their political purposes,” he said. “I would expect that this investigation will continue to be impartial, and that this additional step — taken only in an abundance of caution — will further clear Secretary Clinton of any wrongdoing.”
