Top stories
Breaking News
begin quote from:
FBI and DOJ to be investigated over Clinton email probe
FBI, Justice Department to be investigated over Clinton probe
Story highlights
- The announcement comes after criticism of the Justice Department's handling of the investigation
- The email controversy a major issue on the 2016 campaign trail
Washington (CNN)The
Justice Department's internal watchdog announced Thursday it has
launched a probe into the department and the FBI's handling of the
investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server.
The
announcement, which was expected, comes after criticism of the Justice
Department's handling of the investigation, particularly on how the
public was notified about the controversy, which was a major issue on
the 2016 campaign trail.
It
will likely mean questions over the role of FBI Director James Comey in
the fading days of the election, which Democrats believe helped cost
them the presidency, will linger on long into the administration of
Donald Trump.
Justice Department
Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz said the decision to initiate a
review was prompted by requests from numerous members of Congress and
public inquiries.
Horowitz's office
said the review will examine several allegations, including that DOJ or
FBI policies were not followed when Comey publicly stated last July
that his bureau would not pursue criminal charges against Clinton; that
DOJ and FBI employees improperly disclosed non-public information; and
that the timing of the FBI's release of certain Freedom of Information
Act requests right before the election was improper.
The White House said Thursday it wasn't involved in the decision to investigate.
"Decisions
that are made by inspectors general across the administration are
independent, and this administration has assiduously protected the
independence of inspectors general," White House Press Secretary Josh
Earnest said at a briefing.
A
message left with Clinton's office was not immediately returned. Rep.
Jason Chaffetz, who chairs the House Oversight Committee, tweeted his support of the investigation.
CNN's
senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin said news of the probe provoked
some interesting questions for the new administration, since the tenure
of Horowitz, as a political appointee, ends along with the Obama
administration ends.
"There is a
tradition that some presidents allow some inspector generals to stay on
and complete. One of the questions that (Trump's nominee for attorney
general) Jeff Sessions will surely be asked now ... is will he allow
this investigation to continue? Will they appoint a new inspector
general?" Toobin told CNN's Brooke Baldwin.
"I
think we all agree that this is something that is perfect for what
inspector generals are supposed to do, but who does this investigation?
Does it continue in the new administration? All of that is unsettled
right now."
Democrats were furious
when Comey wrote to lawmakers less than two weeks before the election
announcing the discovery of emails potentially relevant to its
investigation of Clinton's handling of classified information. The
emails, which were found on a laptop, was unearthed as part of a probe
into sexting allegations against Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband
of the Democratic candidate's top aide, Huma Abedin.
The
move allowed Trump to argue that the investigation against Clinton,
which he had used to cast doubt on her character and integrity
throughout the campaign, was once again deserving of voters' attention.
A
few days before the election, Comey wrote to lawmakers again to say
that based on a review of emails, the agency had not changed its opinion
that Clinton should not face criminal charges.
But
Democrats say his move came too late and have said that the initial
letter stalled her momentum during the final two weeks of the campaign.
The FBI's supporters however say Comey had an obligation to inform
Congress of an update to his earlier testimony about the case.
But
Democrats complained that Comey's conduct infringed precedents that
dictate that the FBI does everything it can to avoid being drawn into
the final stages of a US election.
"In
fact, to show how awful this situation is, this man ignored precedent
that had been going on for decade after decade after decade. The FBI
does not get involved in politics -- except Comey did," former Senate
Democratic Minority Leader Harry Reid told CNN's Manu Raju in an
interview last month.
"Had he not
written that letter a week or so before the election, she would have
won; we would have picked up at least two more Senate seats," he said.
The
Trump camp has been sensitive to any suggestions that the
President-elect's victory in November was not legitimate, a stance it
has also adopted to challenge claims by Democrats that alleged Russian
hacking of the party's computer servers and emails from the Clinton
campaign also influenced the result.
No comments:
Post a Comment