logo
FBI ‘failed to investigate' Hillary Clinton's email case, declassified documents reveal

FBI ‘failed to investigate' Hillary Clinton's email case, declassified documents reveal

Indian Express6 days ago
The Federal Bureau of Investigation allegedly 'failed to fully investigate' former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server and mishandling of highly classified information while she served in the federal government under former President Barack Obama, a portion of which
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.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

No greater miscalculation: Kim Jong Un's sister on South Korea's peace offer
No greater miscalculation: Kim Jong Un's sister on South Korea's peace offer

India Today

time23 minutes ago

  • India Today

No greater miscalculation: Kim Jong Un's sister on South Korea's peace offer

North Korea has no interest in any policy or proposals for reconciliation from South Korea, the powerful sister of its leader Kim Jong Un said on Monday in the first response to South Korean liberal President Lee Jae Myung's peace Yo Jong, who is a senior North Korean ruling party official and is believed to speak for the country's leader, said Lee's pledge of commitment to South Korea-US security alliance shows he is no different from his hostile South Korea expects to reverse all the consequences of (its actions) with a few sentimental words, there could be no greater miscalculation than that," Kim said in comments carried by official KCNA news agency. Lee, who took office on June 4 after winning a snap election called after the removal of hardline conservative Yoon Suk Yeol over a failed attempt at martial law, has vowed to improve ties with Pyongyang that had reached the worst level in gestures aimed at easing tensions, Lee suspended loudspeaker broadcasts blasting anti-North propaganda across the border and banned the flying of leaflets by activists that had angered the North Korean official, said those moves are merely a reversal of ill-intentioned activities by South Korea that should never have been initiated in the first place."In other words, it's not even something worth our assessment," she said."We again make clear the official position that whatever policy is established in Seoul or proposal is made, we are not interested, and we will not be sitting down with South Korea and there is nothing to discuss."South Korea's Unification Ministry said Kim Yo Jong's comments "show the wall of distrust between the South and the North is very high as a result of hostile and confrontational policy over the past few years."South Korea will continue to make efforts for reconciliation and cooperation with the North, ministry spokesperson Koo Byoung-sam told a has been cautious optimism in the South that the North may respond positively and may even show willingness to re-engage in dialogue, particularly after Pyongyang also shut off its loudspeakers, a move Lee said was quicker than Lee, whose government is in the midst of tough negotiations with Washington to avert punishing tariffs that President Donald Trump has threatened against a string of major trading partners, has said US alliance is the pillar of South Korea's said on the anniversary of the Korean War armistice on Sunday Seoul would make efforts in all areas to "strengthen the South Korea-US alliance that was sealed in blood."advertisementNorth Korea also marked the anniversary which it calls victory day with events including a parade in Pyongyang, although state media reports indicated it was at a relatively lesser scale compared to some previous of soldiers marched holding portraits of commanders including state founder Kim Il Sung with spectators and frail veterans in historic army uniforms in attendance in state media photos, which did not show major weapons as part of the parade.A formation of military jets flew over the Pyongyang Gymnasium square in the night sky trailing streaks of flares and fireworks. State media made no mention of leader Kim Jong Un's two Koreas, the United States and China, which are the main belligerents in the 1950-53 Korean War, have not signed a peace treaty.- EndsTrending Reel

Operation Grayskull: US justice department shuts child abuse sites; had 120,000 users and millions of files
Operation Grayskull: US justice department shuts child abuse sites; had 120,000 users and millions of files

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

Operation Grayskull: US justice department shuts child abuse sites; had 120,000 users and millions of files

US federal authorities have taken down a massive dark web network trading child sexual abuse material, in what the justice department described as 'one of the most successful' operations of its kind. The move has resulted in the conviction of at least 18 individuals across the United States. The man at the centre of the investigation, William Spearman, known online as 'Boss,' was arrested in November 2022 during a high-risk raid on his home in Madison, Alabama. The search warrant for his arrest was deemed so critical it received direct approval from the FBI director himself. Agents breached his home using tactical explosives, and despite Spearman fighting back, with three handguns within arm's reach, he was subdued and arrested. His capture marked a pivotal moment in Operation Grayskull, a years-long investigation that uncovered four of the most heavily trafficked child exploitation websites on the dark web. The FBI said these platforms were responsible for hosting and distributing hundreds of thousands of sexually exploitative images of children, with a million files, having over 120,000 members and recording upwards of 100,000 visits in a single day. 'This is one of the most successful of all time,' said Matthew Galeotti, head of the justice department's criminal division. 'We dismantled four websites that have not regenerated.' Spearman pleaded guilty a year after his arrest and has since been sentenced to life imprisonment. Prosecutors described him as 'one of the most significant' distributors of child sex abuse material globally. A sentencing memo noted that his refusal to surrender peacefully stemmed from the troves of incriminating evidence on his devices. 'The devices at his desk contained massive quantities of evidence proving that he was the lead administrator of Website A,' the memo cited by CBS News said. 'Unsurprisingly, the defendant's devices also contained an enormous collection of images and videos depicting the rape and abuse of children.' The investigation began in 2020 after authorities observed an alarming increase in traffic to a suspected dark web child abuse site. That discovery quickly led to a broader international operation, exposing a deeply embedded and technologically advanced network of abusers. 'These are people who have a more of a technical understanding,' Galeotti said. 'The defendants in this case, as sadistic as they may be, are somewhat sophisticated,' noting the use of encryption and other evasive tools. Among those convicted was Selwyn Rosenstein, who in 2022 was sentenced to 28 years in prison. His platform, prosecutors said, 'was not simply a website; it was a large, active community of pedophiles and (abuse material) enthusiasts. And it existed in part because of the Defendant's criminal acts.' Rosenstein stored so many illicit images that he needed to keep some on servers tied to his business operations. Another key figure, Matthew Garrell from Raleigh, North Carolina, was jailed for 20 years. Prosecutors revealed that Garrell had built an 'extremely complex and technologically sophisticated conspiracy,' complete with a predator's 'handbook' containing detailed child grooming instructions. Members of these dark web communities were often required to contribute abusive content, pay membership fees, or assist with site moderation to gain access. 'They were part of an online community of hundreds of thousands of people, with leadership roles, rules and a common dedicated purpose,' said Chris Delzotto, acting FBI deputy assistant director. 'Few people would have envisioned how (child abuse materials) would permeate the internet, the way it has today,' he added. The FBI has confirmed that the same leadership team operated several of the shuttered sites. Abbigail Beccaccio, an FBI unit chief, said, 'The leadership team that operated one of the sites also operated several of the others.' The scope of Operation Grayskull extended nationwide, with convicted individuals hailing from Virginia, Maryland, Indiana, Texas, Washington, Arkansas, Michigan, and Oklahoma. The Department of Justice is hailing the takedown as a major victory in its ongoing fight against online child exploitation. 'Even for prosecutors, it is difficult to understand how pervasive this is,' Galeotti said. 'Because it happens on the dark web, people aren't aware of it. It's extremely troubling.'

US, China eye tariff détente in Stockholm meeting today as August deadline looms. What to expect?
US, China eye tariff détente in Stockholm meeting today as August deadline looms. What to expect?

Mint

timean hour ago

  • Mint

US, China eye tariff détente in Stockholm meeting today as August deadline looms. What to expect?

Top US and Chinese officials are meeting Monday in Stockholm to try to extend their fragile tariff detente beyond a mid-August deadline and explore broader steps to ease trade tensions. The Stockholm negotiations come just days after Trump secured his largest trade deal to date with the European Union. Under that agreement, most EU goods exports to the U.S., including automobiles, will face a 15% tariff. In return, the EU has committed to purchasing $750 billion in American energy and making $600 billion in U.S. investments over the coming years. Meanwhile, Washington and Beijing are expected to extend their current tariff truce by another three months, according to a report by the South China Morning Post, citing unnamed sources familiar with the talks. One source told the newspaper that neither side will impose new tariffs during the extension period. The existing pause in tariff escalation, originally set to expire on August 12, has helped prevent further deterioration in trade relations as both sides continue negotiating over broader economic and geopolitical disputes. The talks, led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, mark the third high-level meeting in less than three months. The agenda includes negotiating the duration of the current tariff freeze and addressing contentious issues such as US tariffs linked to fentanyl trafficking and China's continued purchases of sanctioned Russian and Iranian Oil. If no agreement is reached, global supply chains could once again be thrown into disarray, as U.S. tariffs are set to revert to punitive triple-digit levels, effectively amounting to a bilateral trade embargo. Still, Bessent said in recent days that the US would use this week's huddle to work out what's 'likely an extension' to the current tariff pause, adding: 'I think trade is in a very good place with China.' Any progress in this week's US-China negotiations could lay the groundwork for a potential meeting between Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, possibly timed with a major summit in South Korea later this year. Xi extended an invitation for Trump and First Lady Melania Trump to visit China during a phone call last month, though no date has been confirmed. Sweden's role as host for the talks became clearer after Swedish Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson revealed that both U.S. and Chinese officials approached her during the recent G20 gathering in South Africa to propose Sweden as a neutral ground for the negotiations. The meetings in Stockholm mark a quiet but significant moment in the ongoing efforts to manage trade tensions and avoid a renewed tariff escalation. US Ambassador David Perdue, who arrived in Beijing in May, presented his credentials to Xi on Friday, China's envoy to the US posted on X. At the core of the ongoing negotiations between the world's two largest economies lies a high-stakes standoff over critical technologies. Beijing's tight control over rare-earth magnets vital for electric vehicles, wind turbines, and advanced military systems clashes with Washington's sweeping export restrictions on cutting-edge semiconductors crucial to artificial intelligence development. Reducing the 20% fentanyl tariffs Trump imposed over US claims Chinese companies supply chemicals used to make the illegal drug is also a high priority for Beijing, Eurasia Group analysts wrote in a note last week, citing recent meetings with Ministry of Public Security officials. Ministry officials travelled to the Geneva talks in May and will likely go to Stockholm, the analysts wrote, as reported by Bloomberg. While China has denied it is responsible for the flow of the deadly drug, last month it tightened controls over two chemicals that can be used to make the opioid. Earlier this month, Trump praised those moves. 'China has been helping out,' he told reporters. 'We're talking to them and they're making big steps.' For the US, the recent Chinese actions aren't enough, as such moves were required to comply with United Nations measures, according to a person familiar with the trade talks. Chances of reducing the 20% tariff in this round of talks are very slim, added the person who asked not to be identified, discussing sensitive matters, while noting everything could change on Trump's whim, Bloomberg reported. China would be willing to cooperate more on fentanyl, said Sun Chenghao, a professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, but the US would have to remove the related tariffs, stop blaming Beijing for what it sees as a US domestic problem and provide concrete evidence of crimes. The US business community remains hopeful for progress, with Sean Stein, president of the US-China Business Council, telling Bloomberg TV that movement on fentanyl presents the 'biggest opportunity' in talks. 'That then lowers tariffs on the US side, which then opens the door for China to lower tariffs that lets us sell agriculture, lets us sell airplanes, lets us sell automobiles, that let's us sell energy,' he said. As US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent opened the latest round of trade talks, he signalled a broader negotiating agenda including Beijing's ongoing purchases of sanctioned Russian and Iranian oil. But China has made clear it won't entertain US pressure on that front. 'China won't play along,' warned Lv Xiang, a US affairs expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, speaking to state-run Global Times, firmly rejecting any effort to use China as leverage against Russia's economy. At the same time, energy trade between the U.S. and China has sharply declined. In June, Chinese imports of American crude oil, LNG, and coal dropped to nearly zero, the first time in nearly three years, with tariffs of 10–15% imposed by Beijing in February dampening purchases. The energy gap highlights how geopolitical friction is deepening the divide, even as negotiators seek to keep broader trade tensions from reigniting. Xi's government has begun rolling back some of its other retaliatory measures since the two sides met last month in London. Crucially, Beijing has boosted shipments of rare earth magnets, while the US relaxed restrictions on sales of less-advanced semiconductors to China. In another potential goodwill gesture, as the Sweden talks were announced this month, China revealed it had suspended an antitrust investigation into the local unit of US chemical manufacturer DuPont de Nemours Inc. China's colossal manufacturing output will also be a talking point for Trump's team. I think trade is in a very good place with China. Bessent said the US hopes to see China 'pull back on some of this glut of manufacturing that they're doing and concentrate on building a consumer economy.' (With inputs from Bloomberg)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store