FBI will not recommend charges against Clinton

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON

The head of the FBI said Sunday that the bureau would not pursue charges against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

In a letter to lawmakers, James Comey said an additional review of new emails linked to Clinton’s private email server did not change a previous decision not to take Clinton to court.

The announcement comes a little more than one week after Comey ignited controversy by disclosing that a new tranche of emails discovered during an investigation into the estranged husband of top Clinton advisor Huma Abedin.

“Since my letter, the FBI investigative team has been working around the clock to process and review a large volume of emails from a device obtained in connection with an unrelated criminal investigation,” Comey wrote.

“Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusion that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton,” he added.

Comey’s decision to notify lawmakers of the additional step the FBI took was strongly opposed by top Justice Department officials, including Attorney General Loretta because the disclosure was made within days of the Nov. 8 presidential elections.

Department policy is to avoid even the appearance of meddling in elections.

Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said on Twitter that the campaign was "always confident" the decision would not be "revisited", but in a sign tensions have not been fully resolved, he added in a separate tweet, "this could easily have been learned before 1st letter was sent".

Speaking to supporters in Minneapolis, Republican nominee Donald Trump said Clinton is "protected by a rigged system," making reference to his oft-repeated claim regarding the election.

Trump continues to trail Clinton in national polls by as much as five points heading into Election Day.