FBI Director James Comey has told the lawmakers on Sunday that the agency hasn’t changed its earlier opinion that Hillary Clinton may not face criminal charges after a review of new emails. “Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July,” Comey wrote in the new letter to the congressional committee chairmen.
Donald Trump has reacted with anger and doubted whether the FBI had even really carried out its work. “You can’t review 650,000 emails in eight days,” he said.
“Since my letter, the FBI investigative team has been working around the clock to process and review a large volume of emails from a device obtained in connection with an unrelated criminal investigation,”Comey wrote to the Congress on Sunday.
“During that process, we reviewed all of the communications that were to or from Hillary Clinton, while she was secretary of state.”
“Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton,” he said. “I am grateful to the professionals at the FBI for doing an extraordinary amount of high-quality work in a short period of time.”
In Michigan, Trump said: “You can’t review 650,000 emails in eight days. Hillary Clinton is guilty. She knows it. The FBI knows it, the people know it and now it is up for the American people to deliver justice at the ballot box on 8 November.”
The Republican candidate insisted that despite Comey’s actions, “the rank and file special agents at the FBI won’t let her get away with her terrible crimes, including the deletion of 33,000 emails after receiving a federal subpoena”.
“Some things haven’t changed at all. What FBI director Comey said on 7 July under oath to Congress is still the same: That she was reckless and careless in her handling of information,” Trump’s campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, said. The reason that so many Americans have a problem with Hillary Clinton’s honesty and trustworthiness and veracity does not change.”
“Regardless of this decision, the undisputed finding of the FBI’s investigation is that Secretary Clinton put our nation’s secrets at risk and in doing so compromised our national security,” Republican House speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement. “She simply believes she’s above the law and always plays by her own rules.”
“Fortunately, the American people have the opportunity to ensure Secretary Clinton never gets her hands on classified information again,” Ryan said. “Let’s bring the Clinton era to an end by voting for Donald Trump on Tuesday.”
“While the original letter should never have been sent so close to an election,” Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said, “the expeditious review of these emails should put to rest the irresponsible speculation indulged in by the Trump campaign and others.”
John Conyers, the ranking Democrat on the House judiciary committee said, “We will have many questions about the FBI’s handling of this investigation.”
By Premji
