FBI ‘failed to investigate' Hillary Clinton's email case, declassified documents reveal
The declassified documents, released by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, reveal that a confidential source gave thumb drives to the FBI which had State Department's data acquired via cyber intrusions, including mails from ex-President Obama and others.
Grassley said, '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.'
The report has been authored by Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who holds the same position at the Federal Reserve Board and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It remains unclear if the FBI has conducted any further thorough investigation in the hard drives it received, since the 2018 watchdog report was released.
Hillary Clinton, who served as Secretary of State under Obama's administration from 2009 to 2013, had been accused of improperly storing or transmitting classified materials on a private email server.
The FBI had advised the Department of Justice in 2016 that Clinton should not be prosecuted over the matter. It was in 2016 when she ran for presidency from the Democratic Party against Republican leader and now President Donald Trump.
In a press release, then FBI director James 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.'
The declassified documents also reveal that then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe asked then-US Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates in a memo that if he could refer to the drives for FBI's investigation Russian interference in the 2016 presidential polls.
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News18
21 minutes ago
- News18
A look at status of US executions in 2025
Agency: PTI Last Updated: Washington, Jul 26 (AP) Twenty-six men have died by court-ordered execution so far this year in the U.S., and 10 other people are scheduled to be put to death in seven states during the remainder of 2025. The next scheduled execution is in Florida, when a man who killed his wife and two children is set to be put to death July 31. Florida also was the last state to execute someone, when Michael Bernard Bell died by lethal injection on July 15. Meanwhile, Florida recently set its 10th execution of the year when Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant for a man who abducted a woman from an insurance office and killed her 42 years ago. Kayle Bates is scheduled to be executed in August. Alabama, Indiana, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas and Utah also have scheduled executions for later this year. Executions have been carried out this year in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. The number of executions this year exceeds the 25 executions carried out last year and in 2018. It is the highest total since 2015, when 28 people were put to death. The uptick in executions can be traced to aggressive Republican governors and attorney generals pushing to get through lengthy appeals processes and get executions done, said John Blume, the director of the Cornell Death Penalty Project. A sweeping executive order signed by President Donald Trump on his first day back in office aimed at urging prosecutors to seek the death penalty and preserving capital punishment in the states also may have fueled the increase, Blume said. All but one execution this year has occurred in states run by Republican governors, with Arizona the exception. Here's a look at recent executions and those scheduled for the rest of the year, by state: Florida Edward J. Zakrzewski is scheduled to be put to death in Florida on July 31 for killing his wife and two young children in 1994 after she sought a divorce. He eventually turned himself into law enforcement after the case was profiled on the television show 'Unsolved Mysteries." Bates, 67, who is scheduled to be executed Aug. 19, was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and attempted sexual battery in the June 14, 1982, Bay County killing of Janet White. Tennessee Byron Black, 69, is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Aug. 5. Black was convicted in 1989 of three counts of first-degree murder for the shooting deaths of his girlfriend, Angela Clay, and her two daughters in Nashville. Black's lawyer asked a judge to require the Tennessee Department of Correction to deactivate an implanted defibrillation device similar to a pacemaker in the moments before his execution. A Tennessee judge ruled Tuesday that the state can deactivate the heart-regulating device at a hospital on the morning of his execution, rather than bringing a doctor or technician into the execution chamber. Black's motion related to his heart device came within a general challenge he and other death row inmates filed against the state's new execution protocol, which took effect this year. The trial isn't until 2026. Harold Nichols, 64, is also scheduled to die by lethal injection on Dec. 11. Nichols was convicted of rape and first-degree felony murder in the 1988 death of Karen Pulley in Hamilton County. Alabama An Alabama judge has postponed the execution of David Lee Roberts, who had been scheduled to be put to death by nitrogen gas Aug. 21. Roberts was convicted of killing Annetra Jones in 1992 while he was a houseguest at Jones' boyfriend's home in Marion County. Prosecutors said Roberts packed his belongings, stole money and shot Jones three times in the head while she slept on the couch. Roberts set fire to the home to hide evidence. A Marion County judge issued a stay so Roberts can have a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether he is too mentally ill to be put to death. The execution will be on hold at least until a report from the Alabama Department of Mental Health is finished. Geoffrey T. West, 49, is scheduled to die by nitrogen gas on Sept. 25 for the killing of convenience store clerk Margaret Parrish Berry during a 1997 robbery in Attalla. If carried out, it would be the nation's sixth execution by nitrogen gas, a method Alabama began using last year as an alternative to lethal injection. The method involves supplying nitrogen gas via a respirator mask to an inmate, causing the person to lose consciousness and die from a lack of oxygen. Utah Ralph Leroy Menzies, 67, is scheduled to die by firing squad on Sept. 5. He would become only the sixth U.S. prisoner executed by firing squad since 1977. Menzies, who has dementia, has been on death row for 37 years for abducting and killing mother of three Maurine Hunsaker, 26, in 1986. Judge Matthew Bates signed the death warrant a month after he ruled Menzies 'consistently and rationally" understands why he is facing execution despite recent cognitive decline. Attorneys for Menzies have petitioned the court for a reassessment. Texas Blaine Milam, 35, is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Sept. 25. Milam was convicted of killing his girlfriend's 13-month-old daughter during what the couple had said was part of an 'exorcism" in Rusk County in East Texas in 2008. Milam's girlfriend, Jesseca Carson, was also convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Robert Roberson is scheduled to be executed on Oct. 16. Roberson, 58, could become the first person in the U.S. to be put to death for a murder conviction tied to shaken baby syndrome. He was convicted of the 2002 killing of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis, in the East Texas city of Palestine. Prosecutors argued he violently shook his daughter back and forth, causing severe head trauma. His lawyers and some medical experts say his daughter died not from abuse but from complications related to pneumonia. Indiana Indiana set a tentative execution date of Oct. 10 for Roy Lee Ward, who was convicted of raping and killing a 15-year-old girl in 2001. But that date could change. Missouri Lance C. Shockley is scheduled to be executed on Oct. 14, according to the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center. Shockley was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Dewayne Graham outside his home in Carter County in 2005. Testimony at the trial indicated Graham was killed because he was investigating Shockley for involuntary manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident. Ohio Earlier this year, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine postponed five executions scheduled for 2025. All five have been delayed until 2028. top videos View all In postponing the executions, DeWine has cited the state's inability to secure the drugs used in lethal injections due to pharmaceutical suppliers' unwillingness. DeWine has said that he does not anticipate any further executions will happen during his term, which runs through 2026. (AP) AS AS (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: July 26, 2025, 04:15 IST News agency-feeds A look at status of US executions in 2025 Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hindustan Times
41 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Epstein's ex-girlfriend answers questions on '100 different people' tied to him
The Department of Justice has finished questioning Ghislaine Maxwell, sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's ex-girlfriend. She was asked questions on "100 different people" linked to the late financier, her lawyer said on Saturday. British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and US financier Jeffrey Epstein.(AFP) In the interrogation by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Maxwell was asked "every possible thing you could imagine", David Oscar Markus was quoted as saying by the New York Post. The attorney said Maxwell answered all questions "honestly, truthfully, to the best of her ability", and never refused to respond to anything. Ghislaine Maxwell was British socialite and Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend. She is currently serving a 20-year-sentence at a prison in Tallahassee, Florida, after being convicted of lending support to her boyfriend in sexually abusing underage girls. She was interviewed over the course of two days at a courthouse in Tallahassee. Maxwell's questioning comes as focus returns to the Jeffrey Epstein case and a growing demand for a release of documents that could reveal more on the sex trafficking probe. When asked about Maxwell's questioning, US President Donald Trump said he doesn't "know anything about the conversation". He also said that while he had the ability to pardon Ghislaine Maxwell, he hasn't thought about it. 'I'm allowed to do it, but it's something I have not thought about,' Trump said Friday at the White House before departing for a trip to Scotland. The US President also said it was "no time to be talking about pardons". Trump is also facing questions on his ties with Epstein. The two shared a friendship in the 1990s but had a falling out in 2004. While some reports have claimed that Trump is among those named in the Epstein Files, there is no evidence linking the President to the pedophile's crimes. A Wall Street Journal report recently claimed that Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump about being mentioned in the file "multiple times", but the White House rejected the claims.
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Trump Struggles To Quell Epstein Controversy, Facing Backlash From Allies
Despite the sun bearing down on him and the sweat beading across his face, President Donald Trump still lingered with reporters lined up outside the White House on Friday. He was leaving on a trip to Scotland, where he would visit his golf courses, and he wanted to talk about how his administration just finished "the best six months ever." But over and over, the journalists kept asking Trump about the Jeffrey Epstein case and whether he would pardon the disgraced financier's imprisoned accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. "People should really focus on how well the country is doing," Trump insisted. He shut down another question by saying, "I don't want to talk about that." It was another example of how the Epstein saga — and his administration's disjointed approach to it — has shadowed Trump when he's otherwise at the height of his influence. He's enacted a vast legislative agenda, reached trade deals with key countries and tightened his grip across the federal government. Yet he's struggled to stamp out the embers of a political crisis that could become a full-on conflagration. The Republican president's supporters want the government to release secret files about Epstein, who authorities say killed himself in his New York jail cell six years ago while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. They believe him to be the nexus of a dark web of powerful people who abused underage girls. Administration officials who once stoked conspiracy theories now insist there's nothing more to disclose, a stance that has stirred skepticism because of Trump's former friendship with Epstein. Trump has repeatedly denied prior knowledge of Epstein's crimes and claimed he cut off their relationship long ago. For a president skilled at manipulating the media and controlling the Republican Party, it has been the most challenging test of his ability to shift the conversation in his second term. Landing in Scotland offered no refuge for Trump. He faced another round of questions after stepping off Air Force One. "You're making a big thing over something that's not a big thing," he said to one reporter. He told another, "I'm focused on making deals, not on conspiracy theories that you are." Republican strategist Kevin Madden called the controversy "a treadmill to nowhere." "How do you get off of it?" he said. "I genuinely don't know the answer to that." Trump has demanded his supporters drop the matter and urged Republicans to block Democratic requests for documents on Capitol Hill. But he has also directed the Justice Department to divulge some additional information in hopes of satisfying his supporters. A White House official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss internal strategy, said Trump is trying to stay focused on his agenda while also demonstrating some transparency. After facing countless scandals and investigations, the official said, Trump is on guard against the typical playbook of drip-drip disclosures that have plagued him in the past. It's clear Trump sees the Epstein case as a continuation of the "witch hunts" he's faced over the years, starting with the investigation into Russian interference during his election victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton nearly a decade ago. The sprawling inquiry led to convictions against some top advisers but did not substantiate allegations Trump conspired with Moscow. Trump's opponents, he wrote on social media Thursday, "have gone absolutely CRAZY, and are playing another Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax but, this time, under the guise of what we will call the Jeffrey Epstein SCAM." During the Russia investigation, special counsel Robert Mueller and his team of prosecutors were a straightforward foil for Trump to rail against. Ty Cobb, the lawyer who served as the White House's point person, said the president "never felt exposed" because "he thought he had a legitimate gripe." The situation is different this time now that the Justice Department has been stocked with loyalists. "The people that he has to get mad at are basically his people as opposed to his inquisitors and adversaries," Cobb said. In fact, Trump's own officials are the most responsible for bringing the Epstein case back to the forefront. FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, regularly stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein before assuming their current jobs, floating the idea the government had covered up incriminating and compelling information that needed to be brought to light. "Put on your big boy pants and let us know who the pedophiles are," Patel said in a 2023 podcast. Attorney General Pam Bondi played a key role, too. She intimated in a Fox News Channel interview in February that an Epstein "client list" was sitting on her desk for review — she would later say she was referring to the Epstein files more generally — and greeted far-right influencers with binders of records from the case that consisted largely of information in the public domain. Tensions spiked earlier this month when the FBI and the Justice Department, in an unsigned two-page letter, said that no client list existed, that the evidence was clear Epstein had killed himself and that no additional records from the case would be released to the public. It was a seeming backtrack on the administration's stated commitment to transparency. Amid a fierce backlash from Trump's base and influential conservative personalities, Bongino and Bondi squabbled openly in a tense White House meeting. Since then, the Trump administration has scrambled to appear transparent, including by seeking the unsealing of grand jury transcripts in the case — though it's hardly clear that courts would grant that request or that those records include any eye-catching details anyway. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has taken the unusual step of interviewing the imprisoned Maxwell over the course of two days at a courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, where her lawyer said she would "always testify truthfully." All the while, Trump and his allies have resurfaced the Russia investigation as a rallying cry for a political base that has otherwise been frustrated by the Epstein saga. Trump's director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, who just weeks ago appeared on the outs with Trump over comments on Iran's nuclear ambitions, seemed to return to the president's good graces this week following the declassification and release of years-old documents she hoped would discredit long-settled conclusions about Russian interference in the 2016 election. The developments allowed Trump to rehash longstanding grievances against President Barack Obama and his Democratic advisers. Trump's talk of investigations into perceived adversaries from years ago let him, in effect, go back in time to deflect attention from a very current crisis. "Whether it's right or wrong," Trump said, "it's time to go after people."
