Comey says he would still reopen Clinton email probe despite Trump election

Published May 17, 2026 4:22pm ET | Updated May 17, 2026 4:22pm ET



Former FBI Director James Comey said he thinks he would still make the decision to reopen the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email account just days before the 2016 presidential election.

The investigation into Clinton’s private emails containing government information while she served as secretary of state was a major topic of the 2016 presidential election as she went up against President Donald Trump in the general election. Comey said on Sunday that he made the decision to reopen the investigation into the emails on Oct. 28, 2016, 11 days before Election Day, “because it was the least bad option” out of those on the table.

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