Justice Watchdog Releases Report On CLinton Email Probe
The long-awaited Department of Justice Inspector General report on the handling of the Clinton email investigation by the Justice Department and FBI has been released.
The report, more than 500 pages long, focuses on former FBI chief James Comey and the decisions he made during the course of the Clinton investigation. It describes Comey as “insubordinate” while also criticizing then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch for weak leadership. It also criticizes FBI official Peter Strzok for his priorities and communications in the Clinton email probe.
However, the report found that political bias did not affect the investigation and it gave support to the decision not to prosecute Clinton.
Conservative Republicans in particular have been calling for the report to be released, and President Trump has long blasted the Justice Department and FBI, demanding answers and information. “What is taking so long with the Inspector General’s Report on Crooked Hillary and Slippery James Comey,” Mr. Trump tweeted earlier this month. “Numerous delays. Hope Report is not being changed and made weaker! There are so many horrible things to tell, the public has the right to know.”
Clinton had a simple response to the OIG’s finding that Comey used his personal email account to conduct FBI business: “But my emails.”
There is one distinction between Clinton’s use of a private email server and Comey’s use of a private email account. Clinton was found to have conveyed classified information on her private server, while the OIG did not indicate Comey had conveyed classified information.