The Justice Department’s inspector general released a 500-page report Tuesday that details for the first time how the FBI and then-director James Comey handled the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.
The report, which was ordered last January days before President Donald Trump took office, focuses on the actions taken by federal officials in the run-up to the 2016 election, including Comey’s decision to announce in July 2016 he would not file charges against Clinton, and his announcement days before the election that that the bureau was reopening its investigation.
The 17-month probe was led by DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2011.
President Donald Trump has pointed to the FBI’s handling of the Clinton investigation as evidence that the bureau is biased against him. The report also comes on the heels of Trump’s unfounded claims that the bureau planted a spy inside his 2016 campaign. Top Democrats and Republicans have dismissed those claims.
The PBS NewsHour will update this story as it develops.
Left: The Justice Department's inspector general released a 500-page report Tuesday that details for the first time how the FBI and then-director James Comey handled the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server. File Photo by Joshua Roberts/Reuters
Erica R. Hendry is the managing editor for digital at PBS NewsHour.
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