After Hillary Clinton ‘Gets Off Easy’ Following FBI’s Clean Chit, State Department Reopens Probe Into Private Email Server

Hillary Clinton may have “got off easy” according to several legal and security experts following FBI’s recommendation that no “reasonable prosecutor” would bring criminal charges against her, but it appears investigations surrounding her private email server are not done and dusted yet.

According to the Associated Press, the State Department has reopened its internal investigation into the alleged mishandling of classified information by Hillary Clinton and her top aides during her time as the Secretary of State. The State Department had started its investigation in January this year after reports emerged that 22 of the emails that Clinton exchanged with her aides contained “top secret” information — a fact confirmed by FBI — but had to suspend its inquiry midway in April so as not to interfere with the bureau’s probe into the private server.

But after FBI Director James Comey announced earlier on Wednesday that there was not enough evidence to prosecute Hillary Clinton, the State Department decided it was time it resumed its own investigation.

State Department spokesman John Kirby confirmed reports that the department had restarted its probe but refused to put a deadline on the proceedings.

“We will aim to be as expeditious as possible, but we will not put artificial deadlines on the process. Our goal will be to be as transparent as possible about our results, while complying with our various legal obligations.”

State Department’s investigation will likely include top Clinton advisers such as Cheryl Mills, Huma Abedin, and Jake Sullivan, according to the Hill.

State Department reopening investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails. https://t.co/3goAQfBfWr pic.twitter.com/xvVkD1pBR6

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) July 8, 2016

On Wednesday, FBI’s long-drawn investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private server drew to a close, and although the bureau did not recommend any criminal charges be brought against the Democratic presumptive nominee, Comey’s scathing rebuke in which he called Clinton and her aides “extremely careless” provided vindication to Hillary Clinton’s critics who have long argued that a different set of rules seem to apply for the Clintons.

“I see evidence of great carelessness. But I do not see evidence that is sufficient to establish that Secretary Clinton or those with whom she was corresponding both talked about classified information on email and knew when they were doing it that it was against the law.

“To be clear, this is not to suggest that in similar circumstances, a person who engaged in this activity would face no consequences. To the contrary, those individuals are often subject to security or administrative sanctions. But that is not what we are deciding now.”

The FBI director ACTUALLY SAID that others who've done the same thing may face consequences, but not Hillary. HE ACTUALLY SAID THAT.

— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) July 5, 2016

Legal and security experts emphasized this particular statement by James Comey, underlining the fact that he effectively said that Hillary Clinton is being let off the hook because of her position.

Virginia lawyer John V. Berry criticized the FBI for letting Hillary Clinton “get off easy” in a column he wrote for the Washington Post on Thursday, where he argued that his clients would have lost their security clearances had they done the same thing as Clinton.

“Facing the same set of facts outlined by FBI Director James B. Comey about Hillary Clinton and her aides, my less-well-known clients — whether an entry-level government contractor or a GS-14 federal employee — would be in serious jeopardy of losing their security clearances. In fact, I cannot foresee a situation in which an ordinary employee facing such allegations would be able to keep a security clearance with the types of concerns raised in the FBI findings.

“I write this as a political centrist who tends to like Clinton as a candidate — but who is also frustrated by a lack of consistency in the security clearance process and a bias in favor of the well-connected. It is a problem that runs across the political spectrum and is not a Democratic or Republican issue, but rather a ‘who you are and who you know’ issue.”

Break classification rules for the public's benefit, and you could be exiled.

Do it for personal benefit, and you could be President.

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) June 1, 2016

However, while Berry’s reservations about Hillary Clinton not receiving her due punishment may be well-founded, State Department spokesman John Kirby said that Hillary Clinton’s former aides could still face “administrative sanctions” for past actions.

“The most serious is the loss of security clearances, which could complicate [Clinton’s] aides’ hopes of securing top positions on her national security team if she becomes president,” the report read.

Although State Department’s internal investigation may not directly impede Hillary Clinton’s chances of becoming president, it may still have huge repercussions for her aides, who could lose their security clearances, meaning they would not be able to work with federal agencies in the future.

[Photo by Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images]