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FBI: No Clinton Indictment Over E-Mail Server

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Presidential contender Hillary Clinton has good reason to look concerned, as even her own supporters lose trust in her.

FBI Director James Comey held a press conference on Tuesday, announcing that the agency would not recommend that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton be indicted over her use of a private e-mail server while handling classified government documents.

The Department of Justice, headed by Loretta Lynch, will have final say in determining whether Clinton will face charges. Given the FBI’s recommendation, however, that possibility appears increasingly remote, particularly in light of Lynch’s recent statements indicating she would follow the bureau’s recommendation.

As noted by Arutz Sheva, Comey’s statement came just days after Lynch met with former President Bill Clinton on board a private jet parked on the tarmac in Phoenix, Arizona. The 25-30 minute private meeting provoked bipartisan criticism, with leading Republicans noting the conflict of interest, while some Democrats, including Delaware Senator Christopher Coons, who said the meeting “sent the wrong signal.”

At the press conference, Comey acknowledged that there was proof Clinton and her team had violated the law, but he claimed that it was unclear whether the former Secretary of State had done so intentionally.

“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,” Comey stated. “Prosecutors necessarily weigh a number of factors before deciding whether to bring charges.”

Comey said that while the FBI found that Clinton and her team “were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information,” there was no “clear evidence that Secretary Clinton” or staff members had “intended to violate laws governing the handling of classified information.”

Despite the FBI’s recommendation to the Department of Justice not to pursue charges, Clinton’s use of a private email server during her tenure as Secretary of State will likely remain a prominent feature in this year’s presidential election.

Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump wasted no time condemning the FBI’s decision, writing on Twitter that “The system is rigged. General Petraeus got in trouble for far less. Very very unfair! As usual, bad judgement.”

“FBI director said Crooked Hillary compromised our national security. No Charges. Wow. #RiggedSystem.”

Prior to this latest news, an ABC news anchor stated on the This Week program Sunday that even the supporters of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton do not trust her. The comment came in the wake of Clinton’s lengthy grilling by the FBI over her use of her private e-mail server for highly sensitive security information while she was Secretary of State.

Vega said the campaign wants to change the narrative from the e-mail probe, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

“But Cecilia, you cover this campaign every day. You talk to senior officials,” This Week host Martha Raddatz said. “Do they not get how serious this is, how this looks to voters?”

“They get that trust and honesty is a huge problem for Hillary Clinton, if not the biggest problem facing her right now as she heads into this general election against Donald Trump,” Vega said.

Indeed, polls show that while Trump is viewed even more negatively than Clinton, voters give him higher marks on honesty and trustworthiness.

Vega then dropped this bombshell to end her report. “The real problem, Martha, is they may not be able to change all of these minds out there,” Vega said. “You and I have both spoken with people all around this country, even Hillary Clinton supporters who say they don’t trust her either.”

Vega reported Sunday that the Hillary Clinton campaign was “certainly in damage control mode” in the aftermath of her FBI interview.

Clinton was interviewed by the FBI for three-and-a-half hours as the probe into her private server and potential mishandling of criminal investigation at the State Department entered its final stages. Vega said the interview happening on a Saturday morning of a holiday weekend was part of the campaign’s strategy to limit the bad publicity.

“There were no videos, no photos of Hillary Clinton going in or out of the FBI headquarters,” Vega said. “That’s the last thing the campaign wanted in this, for an image like that to emerge. Her campaign is certainly in damage control mode right now.”

During her tenure as US Secretary of State, from 2009-2013, Clinton was accused of violating security protocol by keeping e-mails dealing with state business on a private e-mail server, rather than a secure government server. Private servers are far more susceptible to cyber attacks, making this an issue of national security.

David Rosenberg

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