The FBI announced today that it will not recommend formal criminal charges against Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server during her time as Secretary of State under President Barack Obama. As a result, the Attorney General says she will follow that advice and not seek prosecution for the handling or mishandling of classified information.
Here is the full statement from FBI Director James Comey:
https://youtu.be/Qfvb3poU7ns
Report from Politico:
FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday announced the agency is not recommending the Justice Department bring charges against Hillary Clinton, despite denouncing the former secretary of state and her colleagues for the way they handled classified information through private email servers.
“Although we did not find clear evidence that Secretary Clinton or her colleagues intended to violate laws governing the handling of classified information, there is information that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information,” Comey told reporters in Washington, D.C., noting that the probe has found that the former secretary of state used several different email servers and numerous devices during her time in office.
Even so, Comey added later, “Although there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case. Prosecutors necessarily weigh a number of factors before deciding whether to bring charges.”
Donald Trump wasted no time in reacting on twitter with his dismay:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/750353319084843008
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/750352884106223616
This news will encompass the media cycle for several days, probably for the time leading up GOP convention in a couple weeks. The threat of charges had been looming for over a year on the Clinton campaign since it was disclosed back in early 2015 that she had been using a private email server for all her electronic correspondence as Secretary of State.
