FBI Director: We’re Reopening the Clinton Email Investigation

Now that is an October Surprise.

Friday afternoon, FBI Director James Comey delivered a message to several congressional committees: he’s re-opening the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of state. The turn of events was necessitated by the discovery of new emails that he said shed new light on the previous investigation.

Comey wrote:

In previous congressional testimony, I referred to the fact that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had completed its investigation of former Secretary Clinton’s personal email server. Due to recent developments, I am writing to supplement my previous testimony.

In connections with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation. I am writing to inform you that the investigative team briefed my on this yesterday, and 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, as well as to assess their importance to our investigation.

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 in light of my previous testimony.

The letter was sent to the chairs of the House and Senate committees on Intelligence, the Judiciary, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Oversight and Government Reform, and the Appropriations subcommittees on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies. The ranking Democrats of those committees and subcommittees were also informed.

Charisma Caucus obtained a copy of the letter from the office of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

While campaigning in New Hampshire, Donald Trump immediately responded to the news reports:

I need to open with a very critical breaking news announcement. The FBI has just sent a letter to Congress informing them that they have discovered new emails pertaining to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s investigation, and they are reopening the case into her criminal and illegal conduct that threatens the security of the United States of America.

Hillary Clinton’s corruption is on a scale we have never seen before. We must not let her take her criminal scheme into the Oval Office.

I have great respect for the fact that the FBI and the DOJ are now willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake that they made. This was a grave miscarriage of justice that the American people fully understand. It is everybody’s hope that it is about to be corrected.

His comments triggered a deafening roar of approval from the crowd that had gathered for the rally.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) also issued a statement upon learning of the breaking news:

Yet again, Hillary Clinton has nobody but herself to blame. She was entrusted with some of our nation’s most important secrets, and she betrayed that trust by carelessly mishandling highly classified information. 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. I renew my call for the Director of National Intelligence to suspend all classified briefings for Secretary Clinton until this matter is fully resolved.