FBI left key evidence on 'cutting room floor' in Hillary Clinton probe, new report claims
"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," Grassley said in a Monday press release.
"Under Comey's leadership, the FBI failed to perform fundamental investigative work and left key pieces of evidence on the cutting room floor," he continued.
"The Comey FBI's negligent approach and perhaps intentional lack of effort in the Clinton investigation is a stark contrast to its full-throated investigation of the Trump-Russia collusion hoax, which was based on the uncorroborated and now discredited Steele dossier. Comey's decision-making process smacks of political infection."
Clinton, who served as former President Barack Obama's secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, was investigated by the FBI over claims she improperly stored or transmitted classified materials on a private email server.
The FBI advised the Department of Justice in 2016, ahead of that year's massive election that pitted Clinton against future President Donald Trump, that Clinton should not face prosecution over the matter.
"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," then-FBI director James Comey said in a press release.
"Prosecutors necessarily weigh a number of factors before bringing charges. There are obvious considerations, like the strength of the evidence, especially regarding intent. Responsible decisions also consider the context of a person's actions, and how similar situations have been handled in the past."
Grassley specifically released declassified materials from the "Clinton annex," which is an appendix to the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General's 2018 report that reviewed the DOJ and FBI's handling of the Clinton investigation. Attorney General Pam Bondi, and other Trump administration leaders at other agencies, declassified the materials and delivered them to Grassley at his request, his press release reported.
The documents claim that then-FBI Director Comey, as well as other FBI leaders, obtained thumb drives related to their investigation into Clinton, but that the agency failed "to perform additional, targeted searches of the drives," according to Grassley's office.
The thumb drives reportedly were never reviewed during the investigation, but "contained highly sensitive information exfiltrated from U.S. government agencies, including the Department of State, as well as then-President Barack Obama's emails and, potentially, congressional information."
The FBI also obtained intelligence that alleged communications between Florida Democrat Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who served as Democratic National Committee chair until July 2016 when she resigned, and individuals who worked for the Soros Open Society Foundations, which was founded by left-wing billionaire donor George Soros.
"The intelligence reports alleged that the Obama administration took efforts to scuttle the investigation into Clinton and protect her candidacy," Grassley's release reported, but that the FBI at the time did "not make serious investigative efforts" into the intelligence reports.
Fox News Digital reached out to Clinton's office, Wasserman Schultz's office, the Soros Open Society Foundations and the Kettering Foundation, where Comey currently works as a senior fellow, for comment on Grassley's release, but did not immediately receive replies.
"I warned years ago that the Clinton investigation failed to hit the mark, and I'm grateful the American people can finally see the facts for themselves," Grassley said in the press release.
"After nearly a decade in the shadows, this information is now coming to light thanks to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel's dedicated efforts to fulfill my congressional request.
"I appreciate their ongoing commitment to transparency and strongly urge them to continue to fully review this matter, including its national security impact," he said.
Grassley's release follows Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's bombshell claims that Obama-era officials reportedly "manufactured and politicized intelligence" to create the narrative that Russia was attempting to influence the 2016 presidential election.
Gabbard released unclassified documents Friday that reportedly show "overwhelming evidence" that then-President Obama and his national security team laid the groundwork for what would be the yearslong Trump-Russia collusion probe after Trump's election win against Clinton in 2016.
"Their goal was to usurp President Trump and subvert the will of the American people," Gabbard had posted to X on Friday regarding the criminal referral. "No matter how powerful, every person involved in this conspiracy must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The integrity of our democratic republic depends on it. We are turning over all documents to the DOJ for criminal referral."
Fox News confirmed earlier Monday that the DOJ received Gabbard's criminal referral related to the matter but did not share additional comment.
Originally published as FBI left key evidence on 'cutting room floor' in Hillary Clinton probe, new report claims
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