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Fury intensifies over FBI director's cryptic letter about Clinton emails Fury intensifies over FBI director's cryptic letter about Clinton emails
(35 minutes later)
Hillary Clinton has led a chorus of Democratic party fury over the FBI’s decision to investigate a new batch of her staff’s emails, a review announced just 10 days before the presidential election and in a striking break with law enforcement tradition. Hillary Clinton’s campaign chair on Saturday led a chorus of Democratic party fury over the FBI’s decision to review a new batch of her staff’s emails, which was announced just 11 days before the presidential election in a striking break with law enforcement tradition.
James Comey, the director of the FBI, faced a torrent of criticism on Saturday for his dramatic and late intervention in the race, which deviated from the FBI’s usual protocol of keeping its inquiries quiet before conclusions. He stood accused of betraying the bureau’s political neutrality, and as the week ended came under growing pressure to make public everything he knows. The Clinton campaign launched an extraordinary attack on James Comey, the director of the FBI, who faced a torrent of criticism for his dramatic and late intervention in the race, which deviated from FBI protocol. Comey stood accused of betraying the bureau’s political neutrality, and came under growing pressure to make public everything he knows.
The Clinton campaign was said to be livid with the director, while a jubilant Donald Trump seized on a potential lifeline for his faltering campaign – describing the Democratic candidate’s handling of classified information as a scandal “bigger than Watergate”. The latest twist in a topsy turvy election arrived on Friday afternoon, when Comey said in a letter to Congress the FBI would review whether there was any classified information in new “emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation”. In a carefully worded letter, the director said he wanted to “supplement my previous testimony” about the original Clinton email investigation, which he told Congress had closed this summer, and said “the FBI cannot yet assess whether or not this material may be significant.”
The latest twist in the topsy turvy election arrived on Friday afternoon, when Comey said the FBI would review whether there was any classified information on new “emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation”. In his carefully worded letter, the director said he wanted to “supplement my previous testimony” about the original Clinton email investigation, which he told Congress had closed this summer, and that “the FBI cannot yet assess whether or not this material may be significant.” On Saturday, Clinton campaign chair John Podesta said: “By providing selective information, he’s allowed partisans to distort and exaggerate in order to inflict maximum political damage and no one can separate what is true from what is not because Comey has not been forthcoming with the facts.
Law enforcement sources speaking anonymously later told news outlets that the emails came from a device belonging to Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former congressman and estranged husband of Huma Abedin, one of Clinton’s closest aides. Agents uncovered the emails during an investigation into whether Weiner sent sexually explicit text messages to a teenage girl. “What little Comey has told us makes it hard to understand why this step was warranted at all.”
In July, the FBI closed an investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server when she was secretary of state. Comey said at the time that Clinton and her aides had been “extremely careless” but not criminal with their email practices. It is “entirely possible” that the emails are duplicates of those already studied by the FBI in its earlier investigation into Clinton’s use of a private server while secretary of state, Podesta told reporters on a conference call, adding that Clinton would not be distracted in the final days of the campaign.
With barely disguised anger, Clinton demanded the FBI explain itself on Friday. “The American people deserve to get the full and complete facts immediately,” she told reporters in Des Moines, Iowa. “The director himself has said he doesn’t know whether the emails referenced in his letter are significant or not.” In July, the FBI closed that investigation. Comey said at the time that Clinton and her aides had been “extremely careless” but not criminal with their email practices.
“Director Comey was the one who decided to take this unprecedented step,” Podesta said. “We now learn against the advice of senior justice department officials who told him it was against longstanding department policy of both Democratic and Republican administrations.
“Director Comey was the one that wrote a letter that was light on facts, heavy on innuendo, knowing full well what Republicans in Congress would do with it.
“It’s now up to him, who owes the public answers to the questions that are now on the table, and we’re calling on him to come forward and give those answers to the American public.”
Law enforcement sources speaking anonymously told news outlets the new emails came from devices belonging to Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former congressman and estranged husband of Huma Abedin, one of Clinton’s closest aides. Agents uncovered the emails during an investigation into whether Weiner sent sexually explicit text messages to a teenage girl.
Podesta said Abedin had fully cooperated with the FBI investigation from the start. “She’s been fully cooperative. We of course stand behind her.”
Robby Mook, Clinton’s campaign manager, said: “The more information that comes out, the more overblown this entire situation seems to be. That in turn has raised more questions about director Comey from his colleagues in law enforcement circles, to take this extraordinary step just 11 days out from a presidential election.”
Mook highlighted a “startling” Washington Post report that senior officials in the justice department had warned Comey not to go public but he ignored their advice. He also claimed that, based on anecdotes from the ground, Clinton’s supporters are now intensifying their efforts to get out the vote.
“Our volunteers are rallying behind Hillary,” he said. “They know what a fighter she is … They’re as upset and concerned as we are here … This has only increased the momentum that we’re feeling among our activists on the ground.”
A jubilant Donald Trump, meanwhile, seized on a potential lifeline for his faltering campaign – on Friday describing Clinton’s handling of classified information as a scandal “bigger than Watergate”.
With barely disguised anger, Clinton herself demanded the FBI explain itself on Friday. “The American people deserve to get the full and complete facts immediately,” she told reporters in Des Moines, Iowa. “The director himself has said he doesn’t know whether the emails referenced in his letter are significant or not.”
The content of the messages is unknown – and may well not be before election day. “Right now, your guess is as good as mine, and I don’t think that’s good enough,” Clinton said.The content of the messages is unknown – and may well not be before election day. “Right now, your guess is as good as mine, and I don’t think that’s good enough,” Clinton said.
The decision by Comey, a Barack Obama appointee who was deputy attorney general for George W Bush, appears to contradict justice department guidelines that discourage any actions close to an election with potential to influence the outcome. Officials told the Washington Post and New Yorker on condition of anonymity that Comey was warned by the justice department. Comey is a Barack Obama appointee who was deputy attorney general for George W Bush. As well as the Washington Post, the New Yorker reported officials speaking on condition of anonymity saying that Comey was warned by the justice department before sending his letter to Congress.
“He is operating independently of the justice department. And he knows it,” one official told the Post. “It violates decades of practice,” another told the New Yorker. “It’s aberrational.”“He is operating independently of the justice department. And he knows it,” one official told the Post. “It violates decades of practice,” another told the New Yorker. “It’s aberrational.”
“I think it was an unacceptable breach of years of Department of Justice practice and precedent,” Matthew Miller, who served at the Department of Justice under attorney general Eric Holder, told the Observer. “The department goes out of its way not to take any action close to an election that could influence the outcome of that election. The FBI’s reputation for independence and integrity is really at the core to their ability to do their job effectively.” Matthew Miller, who served at the department under attorney general Eric Holder, told the Guardian: “I think it was an unacceptable breach of years of department of justice practice and precedent.
Miller described Comey’s decision to hold an unprecedented televised statement at the end of the Clinton investigation as “the original sin here”. The director then felt able to answer questions from Congress in more detail than usual, but this is “by far the most serious breach of all”, Miller added. “The department goes out of its way not to take any action close to an election that could influence the outcome of that election. The FBI’s reputation for independence and integrity is really at the core to their ability to do their job effectively.”
Miller described Comey’s decision to hold an unprecedented televised statement at the end of the Clinton investigation in July as “the original sin here”. The director then felt able to answer questions from Congress in more detail than usual, but this is “by far the most serious breach of all”, Miller added.
The former justice department staffer said J Edgar Hoover, the original and controversial FBI director, had done worse than Comey, “but not even Hoover did anything publicly in the closing day of an election that could be seen as tipping the scales.”The former justice department staffer said J Edgar Hoover, the original and controversial FBI director, had done worse than Comey, “but not even Hoover did anything publicly in the closing day of an election that could be seen as tipping the scales.”
Republicans and Democrats alike expressed bafflement at Comey’s timing and ambiguous letter. Senator Dianne Feinstein, a senior Democrat with a history of support for the security agencies, condemned Comey’s conduct. “The FBI has a history of extreme caution near election day so as not to influence the results. Today’s break from that tradition is appalling.” Republicans and Democrats alike expressed bafflement at Comey’s timing and ambiguous letter. Senator Dianne Feinstein, a senior Democrat with a history of support for the security agencies, condemned Comey’s conduct. “The FBI has a history of extreme caution near election day so as not to influence the results,” she said. “Today’s break from that tradition is appalling.”
House minority leader Nancy Pelosi said the FBI would better serve the public by “providing the facts, rather than allowing Republicans to stoke innuendo and falsehoods 11 days away from a presidential election.” And Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said the cryptic nature of the letter “contributes nothing to the public’s understanding”. House minority leader Nancy Pelosi said the FBI would better serve the public by “providing the facts, rather than allowing Republicans to stoke innuendo and falsehoods 11 days away from a presidential election”. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said the letter “contributes nothing to the public’s understanding”.
“The emails could be significant or insignificant, relevant or irrelevant, he said. “It is difficult to see how this latest departure from department policy has served the public interest.”
Charles Grassley, the Republican chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, said Comey’s letter to Congress “was unsolicited and, quite honestly, surprising”. He too said it created more questions than answers.Charles Grassley, the Republican chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, said Comey’s letter to Congress “was unsolicited and, quite honestly, surprising”. He too said it created more questions than answers.
“Congress and the public deserve more context to properly assess what evidence the FBI has discovered and what it plans to do with it,” Grassley said.“Congress and the public deserve more context to properly assess what evidence the FBI has discovered and what it plans to do with it,” Grassley said.
Senate intelligence chairman Richard Burr, a Republican from North Carolina, said: “I believe the American people deserve to have a full accounting of Secretary Clinton’s practices and a complete picture of her actions as secretary of state. We should allow this to go through the complete processes, this time including all of the emails on Clinton’s server.”Senate intelligence chairman Richard Burr, a Republican from North Carolina, said: “I believe the American people deserve to have a full accounting of Secretary Clinton’s practices and a complete picture of her actions as secretary of state. We should allow this to go through the complete processes, this time including all of the emails on Clinton’s server.”
Some analysts speculated that Comey felt caught in a bind: if he waited until after the election, or if the new review had leaked through back channels, he would have been accused of a cover-up. In an internal email sent to FBI employees, he said he was concerned about balance: the need to inform Congress and the American people versus the danger of a misleading impression about emails. Some analysts speculated that Comey felt caught in a bind: if he waited until after the election, or if the new review leaked through back channels, he would have been accused of a cover-up. In an internal email sent to FBI employees, he said he was concerned about balance: the need to inform Congress and the American people versus the danger of a misleading impression about emails.
“In trying to strike that balance, in a brief letter and in the middle of an election season, there is significant risk of being misunderstood, but I wanted you to hear directly from me about it,” he wrote to employees. “In trying to strike that balance, in a brief letter and in the middle of an election season, there is significant risk of being misunderstood, but I wanted you to hear directly from me about it,” he wrote.
Early voting is under way in 37 states, nearly 17 million votes already have been cast, and Clinton has a healthy lead in most polls. “I think people a long time ago made up their minds about the emails,” she said at her press conference. “And now they are choosing a president.” Early voting is under way in 37 states, nearly 17 million votes have been cast, and Clinton has a healthy lead in most polls. “I think people a long time ago made up their minds about the emails,” she said at her press conference. “And now they are choosing a president.”
Though his own campaign has been plagued by one scandal after another, Trump regularly berated Clinton over the emails, and his supporters at rallies frequently chant: “Lock her up! Lock her up!” On Friday he accused Clinton of corruption “on a scale we have never seen before”. He told a rally in New Hampshire: “This is bigger than Watergate.”Though his own campaign has been plagued by one scandal after another, Trump regularly berated Clinton over the emails, and his supporters at rallies frequently chant: “Lock her up! Lock her up!” On Friday he accused Clinton of corruption “on a scale we have never seen before”. He told a rally in New Hampshire: “This is bigger than Watergate.”
“We must not let her take her criminal scheme into the oval office,” he said. “Perhaps, finally, justice will be done.”“We must not let her take her criminal scheme into the oval office,” he said. “Perhaps, finally, justice will be done.”
Trump praised the FBI and the justice department now that they are “willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake that they made” in clearing Clinton of criminal wrongdoing. He added: “The FBI would never have reopened this case unless it was a most egregious offense.” Trump praised the FBI and the justice department now that they were, he said, “willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake that they made” in clearing Clinton of criminal wrongdoing. He added: “The FBI would never have reopened this case unless it was a most egregious offense.”
Republican House speaker Paul Ryan said Clinton should no longer be allowed to receive classified briefings. “Hillary Clinton has nobody but herself to blame,” he added. “She was entrusted with some of our nation’s most important secrets, and she betrayed that trust by carelessly mishandling highly classified information.” Republican House speaker Paul Ryan said Clinton should no longer be allowed to receive classified briefings. “Hillary Clinton has nobody but herself to blame,” he said. “She was entrusted with some of our nation’s most important secrets, and she betrayed that trust by carelessly mishandling highly classified information.”
A senior law enforcement official, speaking anonymously, told the New York Times late Friday that the FBI had recovered thousands of emails belonging to Abedin on Weiner’s laptop, which the FBI had seized along with his iPad and cellphone. The FBI began investigating Weiner in September, after a Daily Mail report that a 15-year-old girl had exchanged explicit messages with him. Abedin announced a separation with him almost immediately afterward. The FBI began investigating Weiner in September, after a Daily Mail report that a 15-year-old girl had exchanged explicit messages with him. Abedin announced a separation with him almost immediately afterward.
Trump himself has been accused by several women of sexual assault or inappropriate conduct. He has argued that Clinton “enabled” her husband’s infidelities, and brought three women who accused the former president of wrongdoing to a presidential debate.Trump himself has been accused by several women of sexual assault or inappropriate conduct. He has argued that Clinton “enabled” her husband’s infidelities, and brought three women who accused the former president of wrongdoing to a presidential debate.