The Hillary Clinton campaign took a stunning blow when FBI director James Comey decided to inform Congress that the department planned to renew the investigation into Clinton’s private email server less than two weeks before the Presidential election. According to officials at the Justice Department, Comey’s decision to notify Congress of his intentions was not consistent with the Department’s practice of not commenting on ongoing investigations.
When officials from the FBI contacted attorneys from the Department of Justice to inform them that Comey planned to alert lawmakers of new emails that may or may not be connected to the Clinton investigation, the attorneys delivered a message to the officials at the FBI that they do not release information that gives the appearance of influencing an election, especially the Presidential election.
Officials from the Justice Department who are close to the matter stated that Comey’s decision was a completely independent decision that is separate from the Justice Department, and he knows that full well. The letter from Comey to lawmakers stunned the Clinton campaign, and Republicans pounced at the chance to benefit from the letter to Congress. Donald Trump called Comey a man of great integrity for reopening the investigation, although Trump had a far different tune about the director just a few short weeks ago.
The new emails in question are from the laptop former House Rep. Anthony Weiner, whose ex-wife Uma Aberdeen is a top consultant to Hillary Clinton and her campaign. The FBI said they are looking into whether or not any of those emails contained any classified information. Top Democrats are stunned and outraged at the director’s surprise announcement, especially this close to the election. John Podesta, the chairman of the Clinton campaign, stated that the message from Comey to lawmakers was “short on facts and long on innuendo.”