UPDATE: Press conference has concluded. Hillary Clinton says she is ‘confident’ new emails will not change FBI’s conclusion she should not face prosecution.
The FBI is reopening its inquiry into Hillary Clinton’s use of private email while secretary of state, after investigators unearthed new e-mails through a separate probe of Clinton aide Huma Abedin’s estranged husband, former Representative Anthony Weiner.
The politically explosive development was announced by FBI Director James Comey just 11 days before the presidential election, providing a boost to Republican nominee Donald Trump just as most national polls showed him lagging behind. The bureau is investigating illicit messages that Weiner allegedly sent to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina, an inquiry that gave them access to devices used by the couple, according to the New York Times.
“In connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation,” Director James Comey said in a letter to eight committee chairmen in Congress. “I agreed that the FBI should take appropriate investigative steps designed to allow investigators to review these emails to determine whether they contain classified information.”
Comey said he can’t say how long the review would take — raising the possibility that Clinton could go into Election Day with the new probe unresolved and still hanging over her campaign.
U.S. stocks erased gains as markets again showed themselves sensitive to perceptions about Clinton’s prospects. The S&P 500 Index fell 0.2 percent in New York at 3:22 p.m. The Mexican peso dropped, a reflection of Republican candidate Donald J. Trump’s plan to renegotiate trade pacts with the country and reduce immigration.
Clinton had appeared to be cruising toward a dominant win in the election. She held an average four-point lead over Republican Trump in polls that include independent candidates as of Friday, according to Real Clear Politics. Some recent polls have been far worse for Trump; the Associated Press said on Oct. 26 that its poll showed Clinton with a 14-point lead. The election projection site FiveThirtyEight.com assessed her odds of a win at 82 percent on Friday.
Trump celebrated the FBI’s decision during an appearance with supporters in New Hampshire.
“This is bigger than Watergate,” Trump told the crowd, which began chanting “lock her up” after he told them about the probe.
“I have great respect that the FBI and Department of Justice have the courage to right the horrible mistake that they made,” Trump said. “This was a grave miscarriage of justice that the American people fully understood.”
House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, said in a statement that “This decision, long overdue, is the result of her reckless use of a private email server, and her refusal to be forthcoming with federal investigators.”
Clinton didn’t comment on the FBI’s decision during a speech to supporters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, after earlier ignoring shouted questions from reporters when her plane landed. While campaign manager Robby Mook and communications director Jennifer Palmieri spoke to reporters on the flight en route to Iowa, they didn’t address the FBI report and weren’t asked about it. Reporters on board learned of the FBI’s move only after landing.
David E. Kendall, Clinton’s long-time attorney, did not immediately reply to voicemail and email messages seeking comment on the Comey letter.
Comey didn’t elaborate on his reference to an “unrelated case.” Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta told reporters this month that the FBI is investigating the hacking of his personal e-mail account. Thousands of messages purported to be from that breach have been disseminated by WikiLeaks. CNN, citing law enforcement sources it didn’t identify, said the new inquiry didn’t involve WikiLeaks or the Clinton Foundation.
There are no other known criminal probes of Clinton’s activity, even as Republicans have questioned her actions as secretary of state in relation to the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative.
When the original investigation was closed in July, Comey faulted Clinton and her aides for “extremely careless” handling of classified information, but said the evidence was not sufficient to warrant prosecution. Attorney General Loretta Lynch subsequently announced that no charges would “be brought against any individuals within the scope of the investigation.”
Comey on Friday gave lawmakers no indication in his letter about the importance of the new information. FBI spokeswoman Carol Cratty declined to comment.
“Although the FBI cannot yet assess whether or not this material may be significant, and I cannot predict how long it will take us to complete this additional work, I believe it is important to update your committees about our efforts,” Comey wrote.
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