No charges recommended in Clinton email probe, FBI says

[webfact]

No charges recommended in Clinton email probe, FBI says
By ERIC TUCKER and KEN THOMAS

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI won't recommend criminal charges against Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server while secretary of state, agency Director James Comey said Tuesday, lifting a major legal threat to her presidential campaign. But Comey called her actions "extremely careless" and faulted the agency she led for a lackadaisical approach to handling classified material.

Comey's decision almost certainly brings the legal part of the issue to a close and removes the threat of criminal charges. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said last week that she would accept the recommendations of the FBI director and of career prosecutors.

"No charges are appropriate in this case," Comey said in making his announcement.

But Comey made that statement after he delivered a blistering review of Clinton's actions, saying the FBI found that 110 emails were sent or received on Clinton's server containing classified information. He added it was possible that people hostile to the U.S. had gained access to her personal email account.

"Although we did not find clear evidence that Secretary Clinton or her colleagues intended to violate laws governing the handling of classified information, there is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information," he said.

Comey contradicted Clinton's past explanations in the case that she had turned over all of her emails and that she had never sent or received any emails that were classified at the time. The FBI chief said that in the course of the investigation, 110 emails in 52 email chains were determined to contain classified information at the time they were sent or received. He also found that "several thousand work-related emails" were not among the group of 30,000 emails Clinton turned over in 2014.

Yet after criticizing Clinton, her aides and the department for their actions, he said that after looking at similar circumstances in past inquiries, the FBI believed that "no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case."

Comey made the announcement just three days after the FBI interviewed Clinton in a final step of its yearlong investigation into the possible mishandling of classified information.

He said he shared the FBI's findings with no one else in the government before making his announcement, which came just hours before Clinton traveled with President Barack Obama on Air Force One to campaign together for the first time this year.

The declaration from Comey is unlikely to wipe away many voters' concerns about Clinton's trustworthiness, especially since the FBI director so thoroughly criticized her actions before delivering his verdict.

"There is evidence to support a conclusion that any reasonable person in Secretary Clinton's position ... should have known that an unclassified system was no place" for sensitive conversations, Comey said.

Nor will the recommendation stop Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has called for criminal charges, from continuing to make the server a campaign issue or suggesting Clinton was helped by a Democratic administration. After Comey's announcement , Trump tweeted: "The system is rigged. ... Very very unfair! As usual, bad judgment."

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, a Republican, said the decision not to prosecute Clinton defied explanation, adding, "No one should be above the law."

Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said it was pleased with the decision but reiterated that it was a "mistake" for Clinton to use personal email.

Clinton's personal email server, which she relied on exclusively for government and personal business, has dogged her campaign since The Associated Press revealed its existence in March 2015.

She has repeatedly said that no email she sent or received was marked classified, but the Justice Department began investigating last summer following a referral from the inspectors general for the State Department and the intelligence community.

The scrutiny was compounded by a critical audit in May from the State Department's inspector general, the agency's internal watchdog, which said Clinton and her team ignored clear warnings from department officials that her email setup violated federal standards and could leave sensitive material vulnerable to hackers. Clinton declined to talk to the inspector general, but the audit said she had feared "the personal being accessible" if she used a government email account.

The Clinton campaign said agents interviewed her this past Saturday for three and one-half hours at FBI headquarters. Agents had earlier interviewed top Clinton aides, including her former State Department chief of staff, Cheryl Mills, and Huma Abedin, a longtime aide who now is the vice chairwoman of Clinton's campaign.

The staff member who set up the server, Bryan Pagliano, was granted limited immunity from prosecution by the Justice Department last fall in exchange for his cooperation.

Lynch said Friday that she would accept whatever findings and recommendations were presented to her. Though she said she had already settled on that process, her statement came days after an impromptu meeting with Bill Clinton on her airplane in Phoenix, which she acknowledged had led to questions about the neutrality of the investigation.

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-07-06

[ezzra]

Such is the powers of the Clintons to exert their considerable influences over a wide area,

and is this baboon Trump will not mend his ways and start acting like a presidential candidate

very soon, we're looking at the first woman US president here.....

[NovaBlue05]

I suppose it's a great day when the FBI comes out and says they won't criminally indict the likely next President. Wonderful time for the country.

Enjoy the election!

[MaxYakov]

"No charges are appropriate in this case", "... no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case."

This is his opinion and not fact. He should have stayed within his scope of responsibility as an investigator.

This amateurish coverup attempt is embarrassing to both the FBI and the and the US justice system.

Statement by FBI Director James B. Comey on the Investigation of Secretary Hillary Clinton’s Use of a Personal E-Mail System

Hopefully, ballot box justice will prevail.

[NovaBlue05]

"No charges are appropriate in this case", "... no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case."

This is his opinion and not fact. He should have stayed within his scope of responsibility as an investigator.

This amateurish coverup attempt is embarrassing to both the FBI and the and the US justice system.

Statement by FBI Director James B. Comey on the Investigation of Secretary Hillary Clinton’s Use of a Personal E-Mail System

Hopefully, ballot box justice will prevail.

lol....Half the electorate either knows and doesn't care or more likely just flat out doesn't know about any of this because, although they go to the polls, they are otherwise completely disengaged from political news.

[canuckamuck]

A seasoned criminal that never sees a charge stick. Untouchable. Just imagine what she will be capable of as POTUS.

Why do I hear The Doors singing "The End"?

Edited July 5, 2016 by canuckamuck

[sirineou]

Can you say president Trump?

I hate the guy , but can some one just answer this question? I have asked it several times, and no one has answered it yet.

I wonder why no one in the media is asking it either, But here it goes Why did she need a private sever?? ware they bored one night and did not know what to do and one of them said "hey let's build a private sever? What???

some one please answer this question and I will vote for the ..... word that rimes with witch but starts with a B

[MaxYakov]

I suppose it's a great day when the FBI comes out and says they won't criminally indict the likely next President. Wonderful time for the country.

Enjoy the election!

Yes, another "great day" for the FBI. Similar to the days when the FBI gave the Orlando shooter a pass after several "interviews" and blew off the Russian warnings about the Tsarnaev brothers.

Enjoy your "extremely careless" with national security matters and proven liar - by FBI Director James Comey's own statement - first female President of the United States.

If Hillary is not elected, Mr. Comey had better be thinking seriously about clearing his office. That is, if he doesn't hand in his resignation even before the election.

[Boon Mee]

"Transcript of FBI Interview of Hillary Rodham Clinton. FBI Headquarters....Saturday, July 2, 2016

FBI Agent: Mrs. Clinton, did you intend to violate national security laws by setting up a private server?

HRC: No

FBI Agent: Well, that clears up everything on our end. You're free to go."

System rigged you say?

[MaxYakov]

Can you say president Trump?

I hate the guy , but can some one just answer this question? I have asked it several times, and no one has answered it yet.

I wonder why no one in the media is asking it either, But here it goes

Why did she need a private sever?? ware they bored one night and did not know what to do and one of them said "hey let's build a private sever? What???

some one please answer this question and I will vote for the ..... word that rimes with witch but starts with a B

1) Avoidance of public scrutiny such as FOIA requests (or investigations, of course)

2) Looser data security standards than the US Government requires

3) Complete content control, especially hard-drive backup images

4) Capability to completely destroy hard-drive content "not wipe it with a cloth"

5) Arrogance

6) Everyone else was doing it so it must be the thing to do and she could get away with it

7) It was a status "thing"

8) Sort of "forgot" that she was a public employee paid by taxpayers and not a "free spirit"

I guess I could go on, but it would be very hard for me to deduce additional potentially "twisted" reasons she might have had. Notice, I didn't list "ignorance". She knew what she was doing ... or maybe not. If not, (or even if) she certainly should not be trusted with the responsibilities of POTUS.

I would have done a similar thing as an IT contractor, but I didn't want to get fired for doing what she did, plus I wanted complete separation and privacy from my employers' systems. There were times when I had multiple, concurrent employers.

Instead, I always used a completely separate computer and even separate, different and impenetrable wireless network for my personal computer/email and never mixed my work-related email or anything else work-related with my personal computer/email.

I did it for the obvious reasons of both my privacy and protection and that of my employers' and the protection and privacy of their information. I would never have had the problem of untangling my employers' email from mine - which Hillary had - and which was obviously bungled.

Edited July 6, 2016 by MaxYakov

[Boon Mee]

Comey may have rewritten Federal Law but Crooked Hillary is damaged goods:

"In essence, Comey said today that if American voters are dumb enough to elect as president a woman who was “extremely careless” in handling “very sensitive, highly classified information,” so that it is “possible that hostile actors gained access to” her email account, and then lied repeatedly and shamelessly about what she had done, it’s on the voters."

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2016/07/can-hillary-survive.php

Edited July 6, 2016 by Boon Mee

[linksman00]

Can you say president Trump?

I hate the guy , but can some one just answer this question? I have asked it several times, and no one has answered it yet.

I wonder why no one in the media is asking it either, But here it goes

Why did she need a private sever?? ware they bored one night and did not know what to do and one of them said "hey let's build a private sever? What???

some one please answer this question and I will vote for the ..... word that rimes with witch but starts with a B

It comes down to three words, Arrogance, Ignorance and Incompetence, and sadly Hillary is equally guilty of all three of theses, this will go down as a very terrible red letter day for the U.S. A. .

[SABloke]

"we did not find clear evidence that Secretary Clinton or her colleagues intended to violate laws..

Aaah...the old "I didn't mean to do it" argument and here I was thinking that ignorance of the law was not a defence in the justice system (especially a person with a permanent legal team).

Oh well, next time I get pulled over for speeding in the US I'll just say I didn't intend to speed

[Steely Dan]

At least this means we don't get to 'feel the Bern'.

[NovaBlue05]

Comey may have rewritten Federal Law but Crooked Hillary is damaged goods:

"In essence, Comey said today that if American voters are dumb enough to elect as president a woman who was “extremely careless” in handling “very sensitive, highly classified information,” so that it is “possible that hostile actors gained access to” her email account, and then lied repeatedly and shamelessly about what she had done, it’s on the voters."

That's the bottom line. His decision didn't quite square with the statement and the latter alone would send most rational, critically thinking people running for the hills.

[gabruce]

Can you say president Trump?

I hate the guy , but can some one just answer this question? I have asked it several times, and no one has answered it yet.

I wonder why no one in the media is asking it either, But here it goes

Why did she need a private sever?? ware they bored one night and did not know what to do and one of them said "hey let's build a private sever? What???

some one please answer this question and I will vote for the ..... word that rimes with witch but starts with a B

and why did she find it necessary to burn her personal daily schedules?

At a minimum it raises questions about whether she is competent to be president. Certainly not trustworthy.

[sirineou]

Can you say president Trump?

I hate the guy , but can some one just answer this question? I have asked it several times, and no one has answered it yet.

I wonder why no one in the media is asking it either, But here it goes

Why did she need a private sever?? ware they bored one night and did not know what to do and one of them said "hey let's build a private sever? What???

some one please answer this question and I will vote for the ..... word that rimes with witch but starts with a B

1) Avoidance of public scrutiny such as FOIA requests (or investigations, of course)

2) Looser data security standards than the US Government requires

3) Complete content control, especially hard-drive backup images

4) Capability to completely destroy hard-drive content "not wipe it with a cloth"

5) Arrogance

6) Everyone else was doing it so it must be the thing to do and she could get away with it

7) It was a status "thing"

8) Sort of "forgot" that she was a public employee paid by taxpayers and not a "free spirit"

I guess I could go on, but it would be very hard for me to deduce additional potentially "twisted" reasons she might have had. Notice, I didn't list "ignorance". She knew what she was doing.

I would have done a similar thing as an IT contractor, but I didn't want to get fired for doing what she did, plus I wanted complete separation and privacy from my employers' systems. There were times when I had multiple, concurrent employers.

Instead, I always used a completely separate computer and even separate, different and impenetrable wireless network for my personal computer/email and never mixed my work-related email or anything else work-related with my personal computer/email.

I did it for the obvious reasons of both my privacy and protection and that of my employers' and the protection and privacy of their information. I would never have had the problem of untangling my employers' email from mine - which Hillary had - and which was obviously bungled.

anything she did though beyond the pale, difficult to prove intent, but the server? there is intent, if not intent then what? It was not spontaneously created, "wow look at that, a server, where did it come from?" It was not made by mistake, "hey we were trying to make a souffle and by mistake we made a server" or "hey don't everyone has a server in their home" Unless you think the people in the FBI and Justice dept, are idiots, then one has to conclude the system is rigged.

[linksman00]

A seasoned criminal that never sees a charge stick. Untouchable. Just imagine what she will be capable of as POTUS.

Why do I hear The Doors singing "The End"?

A chilling thought for sure This is not the end, however it is likely the beginning of the end With the two elections of Barrack Obama I thought back on the prophetic words of Alexis De Tocqueville in 1835, making wild predictions about the political experiment in U.S. A. will become the greatest and most productive nation in the history of the world, and that the African slaves would not only be freed but they would get the right to vote as well as women would get the right to vote, just about everything that De Tocqueville wrote about back then has come to pass. The scary part is that he also said that there would come a day when 51% of the people would figure out that they could vote themselves goodies from the Treasury and put their self interest above the countries interest, and that this would lead to Americas downfall. With the elections and administration of Barrack Obama we have reached that point as a nation, as an American I find it very hard to say this, but Americas greatest days may very well be behind us.

[Inn Between]

No surprise whatsoever. Hillary the Horrible was selected quite some time ago by the true powers that be to act as POTUS and do their bidding.

[keemapoot]

So, let's see if I understand.

1. Republican FBI Director Comey is part of a rigged system, and some dirty fix by this Republican resulted in failing to bring charges or re-writing federal law to get Clinton off. (Trump said)

2. Democrat Attorney General Lynch has been offered a direct and illegal bribe by Clinton by the promise of 4 more years on the job if she didn't pursue prosecution. (Trump said)

So, according to Trump and followers, it's all a rigged fixed deal involving both parties.

Conspiracy theories at their finest hour.

[NovaBlue05]

So, let's see if I understand.

1. Republican FBI Director Comey is part of a rigged system, and some dirty fix by this Republican resulted in failing to bring charges or re-writing federal law to get Clinton off. (Trump said)

2. Democrat Attorney General Lynch has been offered a direct and illegal bribe by Clinton by the promise of 4 more years on the job if she didn't pursue prosecution. (Trump said)

So, according to Trump and followers, it's all a rigged fixed deal involving both parties.

Conspiracy theories at their finest hour.

Yeah....let's see if you understand. Outside of Clinton, there may not be a person on the planet who would qualify for even a lower level national security clearance if they had today's statement by the Director of the FBI on their dossier....much less occupying the White House.

Are you really ok with her or just being obtuse?

[colinneil]

The F.B.I. director is never going to recommend charges, against Hillary the horrible.

Why ? easy answer he wants to live for a few more years.

[Boon Mee]

Comey may have rewritten Federal Law but Crooked Hillary is damaged goods:

"In essence, Comey said today that if American voters are dumb enough to elect as president a woman who was “extremely careless” in handling “very sensitive, highly classified information,” so that it is “possible that hostile actors gained access to” her email account, and then lied repeatedly and shamelessly about what she had done, it’s on the voters."

That's the bottom line. His decision didn't quite square with the statement and the latter alone would send most rational, critically thinking people running for the hills.

Heh...it sends critical thinking voters straight to Donald Trump.

[bassman]

This case is far from over, if Clinton gets elected and Republicans keep the congress. As president she will get a special prosecutor...unless Obama gives her a pardon. Since the case will not go to a grand jury, Comey did not exonerate her of illegal activity but rather said prosecutors would have a hard time proving the case. What Comey delivered today was only an opinion, not a decision by a court of law.

Additionally good chance that the Clinton Foundation is also being investigated for its numerous violations. More than 35,000 emails between State and the CF, beyond shady. And not to mention the other missing 32,000 emails.

[Kabula]

No surprise...

It is what it is.

However, it's never over till it's over.

[PTC]

A seasoned criminal that never sees a charge stick. Untouchable. Just imagine what she will be capable of as POTUS.

Why do I hear The Doors singing "The End"?

A chilling thought for sure This is not the end, however it is likely the beginning of the end With the two elections of Barrack Obama I thought back on the prophetic words of Alexis De Tocqueville in 1835, making wild predictions about the political experiment in U.S. A. will become the greatest and most productive nation in the history of the world, and that the African slaves would not only be freed but they would get the right to vote as well as women would get the right to vote, just about everything that De Tocqueville wrote about back then has come to pass. The scary part is that he also said that there would come a day when 51% of the people would figure out that they could vote themselves goodies from the Treasury and put their self interest above the countries interest, and that this would lead to Americas downfall. With the elections and administration of Barrack Obama we have reached that point as a nation, as an American I find it very hard to say this, but Americas greatest days may very well be behind us.

Well, if you have actually read de Tocqueville, which I highly doubt, and not the right wing fringe blogs then you would know that he never said or wrote anything of the kind. http://www.thewire.com/politics/2012/11/sorry-conservatives-de-tocqueville-did-not-call-2012-election/58839/

Purposeful misattribution of right wing ideological garbage to historical figures seems to be an attempt to provide some stature to absurdly nonsensical reactionary rants.

Tocqueville's observations on Democracy in America are quite interesting but do not rise to the level of his 19th C peers such as Hegel and Marx and most certainly do not rise to the level of thinkers such as Rousseau and Kant in terms of laying the foundations for the sovereignty of the individual. But of course, plagiarists from fringe ideological blogs are not interested in a real discussion of Tocqueville's idea of individual liberty, they just want to blindly fire of shots and reload with more spurious, mis-attributed sayings.

Such are the trolls that inhabit social media.

[kamahele]

Such is the powers of the Clintons to exert their considerable influences over a wide area,

and is this baboon Trump will not mend his ways and start acting like a presidential candidate

very soon, we're looking at the first woman US president here.....

The head of the FBI is a Republican who is able to be bi-partisan in his work as he should be. I doubt the Clinton's have any influence over him or his decisions.

[kamahele]

A seasoned criminal that never sees a charge stick. Untouchable. Just imagine what she will be capable of as POTUS.

Why do I hear The Doors singing "The End"?

A criminal is one who has committed a crime. What crime has Hillary Clinton committed? She is no doubt the most investigated politician in modern history in America. What have the outcomes of those investigations been? And let me remind you, almost all the investigations have been carried out by Republican members of both houses as well as the Republican head of the FBI? They have proven, she is not a criminal....

[kamahele]

I'm still waiting for the investigation into the Bush White House's 5,000,000 missing emails. Actual violation of the law. No investigation......

[Berkshire]

A seasoned criminal that never sees a charge stick. Untouchable. Just imagine what she will be capable of as POTUS.

Why do I hear The Doors singing "The End"?

A criminal is one who has committed a crime. What crime has Hillary Clinton committed? She is no doubt the most investigated politician in modern history in America. What have the outcomes of those investigations been? And let me remind you, almost all the investigations have been carried out by Republican members of both houses as well as the Republican head of the FBI? They have proven, she is not a criminal....

Agree. If HRC does become President (almost guaranteed at this point), then she will have overcome the ruthless Republican machine that has been after her for decades. This will culminate in the GOP losing the Senate, then the House, and ultimately, any sort of power they currently have to manipulate and divide the country. That's when the USA will truly be great again.