The FBI uncovered more emails Friday related to the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private email server, prompting FBI Director James Comey to write a letter to the leaders of the chairmen of the congressional committee letting them know that the bureau would be reviewing the emails. Despite early reports that this means the FBI is “reopening” Clinton’s case, that’s not what’s going on here. The New York Times reports that the emails were discovered on devices belonging to Clinton’s aide Huma Abedin and her husband Anthony Weiner, who’s being investigated for sending sexual messages to a 15-year-old girl. The emails were found in the course of that investigation.
The letter read in part: “In connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation. I am writing to inform you that the investigative team briefed me on this yesterday, and I agreed that the FBI should take appropriate investigative steps designed to allow investigators to review these emails to determine whether they contain classified information, as well as to assess their importance to our investigation.”
At a rally in New Hampshire, Trump gleefully informed a crowd of supporters of the development. “Hillary Clinton’s corruption is on a scale we have never seen before, we must not let her take her criminal scheme into the Oval Office,” he said. “I have great respect for the fact that the FBI and the Department of Justice are now willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake that they made.”
According to the New York Times, Comey announced in September that the FBI had closed its investigation and determined that no one should be charged. Think Progress reports that they probably won’t change their minds because of these new emails, which aren’t even from Clinton and don’t involve the private email server.
The BBC said that Comey had previously stated that Clinton’s mishandling of classified information during her time as Secretary of State was “extremely careless.”
Clinton campaign officials have said that more information is needed about the new emails before people rush to judgment.