The FBI has a new warrant in their investigation of the Clinton email scandal. The new warrant would allow them to search a large cache of emails from a top Clinton aide to assess their relevance in their investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server during her tenure as Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013.
The Clinton email scandal has plagued the campaign of the Democratic Party nominee for months. The federal investigation is focused on Secretary Clinton’s installation and use of a private email server in her home, which she used for State Department business. Federal officials and the FBI are attempting to discover if this private server posed a threat to national security or if Clinton was negligent or if there was a crime committed.
The current development in the Clinton email scandal comes from a completely unrelated FBI investigation. The New York Times reported that James Comey, the head of the FBI, recently sent a letter to Congress informing them that FBI agents investigating former New York Democratic Congressman Anthony Wiener for improper communication with a young girl had uncovered emails related to the Clinton email scandal in the course of their investigation. Wiener is married to, and estranged from, top Clinton aide Huma Abedin.
This discovery was a catalyst for renewed interest from the FBI in the Clinton email scandal. Officials in July had concluded the investigation without bringing charges, but the new warrant indicates that Comey has reason to believe there is a significant connection between the Abedin emails and the Clinton private server. However, it is also entirely possible that the majority of the Abedin emails have already been searched by the FBI in the context of the previous investigation.
Whatever the content of the emails, it is likely that this current move indicates that the FBI will be rushing to provide conclusive information in the matter. The United States elections take place on November 8, and the both of the major campaigns are certainly wondering how this last minute development in the Clinton email scandal will effect the decision of the electorate.
Reuters has reported that officials are uncertain if the investigation can even be completed by Election Day , though they have said that they will make every effort to do so.
Several leading supporters of Hillary Clinton have sharply criticized Comey, accusing him of using the Clinton email scandal to influence the election in favor of her opponent, Republican Party nominee Donald Trump. Senate Democratic Party leader Harry Reid insinuated that Comey himself may be in violation of the law.
“Through your partisan actions, you may have broken the law,” the Nevada Senator said.
Clinton campaign chair John Podesta also weighed in on the issue.
“We are calling on Mr. Comey to come forward and explain what’s at issue here,” Podesta said, calling the Comey letter “long on innuendo, short on facts.”
Regardless of Comey’s intent, this latest phase of the Clinton email scandal is sure to have an impact on the general election. Clinton’s rival Donald Trump, who has long accused Clinton of corruption and has often highlighted this accusation by bringing up the scandal, wasted no time in weighing in on the issue.
“We have one ultimate check on Hillary’s corruption and that is the power of the vote,” Trump told a rally in Las Vegas on Sunday. “The only way to beat the corruption is to show up and vote by the tens of millions.”
Clinton, for her part, has not directly responded to the new information, instead referring to such matters as a “distraction” and moving to her main talking points. Though she had a large lead on Mr. Trump in the polls after the debates, Trump has narrowed that gap significantly as the election nears. The Clinton email scandal, which has loomed over the campaign for many months, may be a determining factor in the outcome of the general election.
[Featured Image by Andrew Harnik/AP Images]