AG Loretta Lynch says she won't prosecute Hillary Clinton
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch. ABA Journal file photo by Simon Apps.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced Wednesday that she has accepted the FBI’s recommendation not to charge Hillary Clinton for transmitting classified emails on her private server.
Lynch made her decision after meeting with FBI Director James Comey, prosecutors and FBI agents Wednesday, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) and the Washington Post report.
“I received and accepted their unanimous recommendation that the thorough, yearlong investigation be closed and that no charges be brought against any individuals within the scope of the investigation,” she said.
Comey said Tuesday that Clinton and her staffers had been “extremely careless” in their handling of emails, but he was not recommending prosecution. “Although there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information,” Comey said in the statement, “our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case.”
Comey said that in past cases involving the mishandling of classified information, prosecutions “involved some combination of: clearly intentional and willful mishandling of classified information; or vast quantities of materials exposed in such a way as to support an inference of intentional misconduct; or indications of disloyalty to the United States; or efforts to obstruct justice. We do not see those things here.”
Both Comey and Lynch have been called to testify before Congress about the probe, USA Today reports.
