Tipsheet

Acting FBI Director: Yeah, The Decision Not to Indict Hillary Clinton Caused Controversy Within The Bureau

When former FBI Director James Comey walked out to television cameras on July 5, 2016, he announced the Bureau would not recommend charges against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for using an unsecured private email server despite "extremely careless" handling of classified information. 

"There is evidence they [Clinton and staff] were extremely careless in their handling of classified information," Comey said. "Although there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case. Prosecutors necessarily weigh a number of factors before deciding whether to bring charges."

The announcement of a non-indictment came just days after former Attorney General Loretta Lynch was caught secretly meeting with former President Bill Clinton on her private plane in Phoenix. When caught, Lynch claimed the meeting was about grandchildren and golf. 

Media reports at the time indicated the decision not to indict Clinton, combined with the secret meeting, was highly disconcerting to many FBI agents. 

Today during testimony in of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe confirmed there was in fact controversy. 

"I think morale's always been good, but there were folks within our agency that were frustrated with the outcome of the Hillary Clinton case and some of those folks were very vocal about those concerns,” McCabe said. 

McCabe also testified FBI agents had "broad support" for Comey and that the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election will continue despite his firing.