The FBI failed to investigate a thumb drive containing government emails from Hillary Clinton’s controversial private server, leaving the 2016 investigation incomplete, according to a previously classified Department of Justice document released on Monday.
The 35-page addendum to a 2018 internal review, dubbed the “Clinton annex,” was published by the Senate Judiciary Committee after years of efforts by Republican Senator Chuck Grassley to have it declassified. The document reveals that FBI officials under then-Director James Comey never examined critical evidence despite internal recommendations to do so.
This document shows an extreme lack of effort and due diligence in the FBI’s investigation of former Secretary Clinton’s email usage and mishandling of highly classified information,” Senator Grassley said in a statement.
The newly unveiled report indicates that the overlooked thumb drive contained “very sensitive information” taken from the State Department, including emails from President Barack Obama. A draft FBI memorandum had recommended investigating the thumb drives as part of a “thorough and complete investigation,” but the request was never submitted to the Department of Justice.
The Clinton email investigation focused on approximately 30,000 emails sent or received whilst Clinton served as Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013. The probe uncovered “top secret” files stored on Clinton’s personal server, raising questions about potential mishandling of classified documents.
Timing and Political Context
The internal review was completed in July 2018, just one month after the Office of Inspector General’s publicly disclosed report on the Clinton email investigation. However, the addendum remained classified for nearly seven years until this week’s release.
“Under Comey’s leadership, the FBI failed to perform fundamental investigative work and left key pieces of evidence on the cutting room floor,” Grassley continued in his statement.
The 92-year-old Iowa Republican, who has conducted oversight of the Clinton probe for nearly a decade, thanked FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi for helping the Judiciary Committee unseal the previously classified report. Grassley first petitioned the FBI to release the document in 2020.
According to Grassley’s office, the FBI also obtained intelligence suggesting “the Obama administration took efforts to scuttle the investigation into Clinton and protect her candidacy,” though the newly released annex shows Comey and others did not pursue these intelligence reports.
Original Investigation Findings
In July 2016, Comey announced that whilst Clinton had been “extremely careless” in her handling of sensitive materials, he would not recommend criminal charges, stating that “no reasonable prosecutor” would pursue a case based on the FBI’s findings.
Out of more than 30,000 emails Clinton returned to the State Department, the FBI found 110 messages in 52 email chains that contained classified information at the time they were sent or received. Eight of those chains contained information that was “Top Secret” at the time, 36 contained “Secret” information, and eight contained “Confidential” information.
The original 2018 Inspector General report, whilst critical of FBI leadership decisions, concluded that the investigation was not driven by political bias and that “no prosecutable evidence” was uncovered against Clinton. However, the newly released addendum suggests the investigation was less thorough than previously understood.
Political Implications
The revelation comes as Republicans have renewed focus on past investigations involving Democratic officials. The timing of the document’s release has raised questions about political motivations, particularly given the current administration’s composition.
Comey’s decision-making process smacks of political infection,” Grassley contended, comparing the FBI’s handling of the Clinton investigation unfavourably to its approach to other political figures during the same period.
Attorney General Bondi praised Grassley’s persistence in seeking the document’s release. Today, the Department of Justice honoured Chairman Grassley’s request to release information relating to former-FBI Director James Comey’s failed investigation into Hillary Clinton’s mishandling of highly classified information during her tenure as Secretary of State,” she said in a statement.
“I commend Chairman Grassley for his unwavering, years-long commitment to exposing the truth and holding those who seek to conceal it accountable,” Bondi added.
Broader Context
The Clinton email controversy dominated the 2016 presidential campaign and continues to reverberate in American politics. Many Democrats blamed Comey’s public statements about the investigation, particularly his decision to reopen the probe days before the election, for contributing to Clinton’s defeat by Donald Trump.
The newly released document does not specify how many of Clinton’s emails were left unexamined on the thumb drive, leaving questions about what additional information might have been uncovered had the FBI pursued the recommended investigation.
Previous administrations have faced scrutiny over document handling, though representatives for former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have stated that all classified materials were properly turned over to the National Archives upon leaving office, in accordance with the Presidential Records Act.
The release of the “Clinton annex” is likely to reignite debates about the fairness and thoroughness of high-profile political investigations, as well as the role of intelligence agencies in matters involving elected officials and candidates for office.
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Image Credit:
Hillary Clinton in 2007 – Image by United States Senate, edited and denoised, licensed under Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
