Comey Influenced by Classified Intel in Clinton Email Probe, Declassified Appendix Shows

A newly declassified appendix to a 2018 Justice Department watchdog report reveals that then-FBI Director James Comey was influenced by classified intelligence in his decision to close the bureau’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. The disclosure sheds new light on one of the most contentious actions of the 2016 election cycle.

The appendix, released by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), also indicates that FBI officials failed to examine potentially crucial thumb drives related to the case. These devices may have contained evidence about Clinton’s handling of classified information during her tenure as Secretary of State, but were apparently left unreviewed during the “Midyear Exam” investigation.

Comey announced in July 2016—just four months before the presidential election—that the FBI would not recommend criminal charges against Clinton. Simultaneously, the FBI launched the “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation into alleged collusion between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russian operatives, a probe later discredited in part by the unverified Steele dossier.

Grassley blasted the FBI’s approach as politically motivated and lacking investigative rigor. He said intelligence reports that suggested Obama administration officials worked to protect Clinton’s candidacy were ignored. The appendix cites communication reports involving then-DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and members of the Soros Open Society Foundations.

The release also revisits the controversial June 2016 tarmac meeting between then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former President Bill Clinton. Days later, Comey announced that while Clinton had been “extremely careless,” no charges would be filed.