Loretta Lynch to Recuse Herself From Hillary Clinton Investigation

Well, that was fast. Either Attorney General Loretta Lynch bowed to public pressure and recused herself from the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of state, or she’s trying to make it look like she’s recused herself.

The New York Times reported Friday morning that Lynch was set to announce her recusal later in the day:

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch plans to announce on Friday that she will accept whatever recommendation career prosecutors and the FBI director make about whether to bring charges related to Hillary Clinton’s personal email server, a Justice Department official said. Her decision removes the possibility that a political appointee will overrule investigators in the case.

The Justice Department had been moving toward such an arrangement for months—officials said in April that it was being considered—but a private meeting between Ms. Lynch and former President Bill Clinton this week set off a political furor and made the decision all but inevitable.

Republicans said the meeting, which took place at the Phoenix airport, had compromised the independence of the investigation as the FBI was winding it down. Some called for Ms. Lynch to recuse herself, but she did not take herself off the case—one that could influence a presidential election.

Political pundits quickly took diametrically opposing views on the pending announcement.

On one side, many suggested Lynch caved to public pressure led by Republicans who are aiming to make Clinton’s email server an issue in the 2016 election. On the other, many suggested Lynch already knows the FBI won’t recommend an indictment—despite overwhelming evidence—and she tried to shut down the controversy of her meeting with former President Bill Clinton earlier this week.

A third option, not endorsed by many, suggested Lynch knows the FBI is about to recommend an indictment and staged her meeting with Clinton to force the Obama Administration into a situation where it couldn’t meddle.

Regardless of the reason, Lynch made it official during a speech Friday in Aspen, Colorado.

“The recommendations will be reviewed by career supervisors in the Department of Justice and in the FBI, and by the FBI director, and then as is the common process, they present it to me and I fully expect to accept their recommendations,” she said.