Declassified report: Obama’s FBI failed to search key evidence in Clinton email probe

A newly released report from the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General revealed bombshell findings about the Obama-era FBI investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) released the 2018 report, which found that the FBI failed to complete a full investigation into Clinton’s “mishandling of highly classified information.”

‘Weeks later, on July 31, 2016, Comey’s FBI formally opened the bogus Crossfire Hurricane investigation into President Trump’s disproven collusion with Russia.’

President Donald Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi declassified the report’s “Clinton Annex” and provided it to Grassley after he requested the information.

Grassley stated, “This document shows an extreme lack of effort and due diligence in the FBI’s investigation of former Secretary Clinton’s email usage and mishandling of highly classified information.”

“Under [former FBI Director James] Comey’s leadership, the FBI failed to perform fundamental investigative work and left key pieces of evidence on the cutting room floor,” Grassley continued. “The Comey FBI’s negligent approach and perhaps intentional lack of effort in the Clinton investigation is a stark contrast to its full-throated investigation of the Trump-Russia collusion hoax, which was based on the uncorroborated and now discredited Steele dossier. Comey’s decision-making process smacks of political infection.”

The OIG report found that under former President Barack Obama, the FBI failed to conduct targeted searches of eight thumb drives obtained by a source amid the ongoing Clinton investigation.

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  Former FBI Director James Comey. Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

The report stated that “the vast majority of [the thumb drives’] data has never been reviewed by the FBI.” It further noted that the OIG previously concluded that a “review of the thumb drives was necessary to conduct a ‘thorough and complete investigation’ and to ‘assess the national security risks’ associated with former Secretary Clinton’s use of a private server.”

Grassley’s office stated that Comey planned to exonerate Clinton before conducting an interview with her, ultimately officially recommending the DOJ take no legal action against her on July 5, 2016.

“Weeks later, on July 31, 2016, Comey’s FBI formally opened the bogus Crossfire Hurricane investigation into President Trump’s disproven collusion with Russia,” a press release from Grassley’s office read. “On that day, [former FBI Special Agent Peter] Strzok texted Lisa Page, an FBI lawyer, saying: ‘And damn this feels momentous. Because this matters. The other one did, too, but that was to ensure we didn’t F something up. This matters because this MATTERS. So super glad to be on this voyage with you.’”

Grassley’s office further noted that the OIG’s report revealed that “the Obama administration took efforts to scuttle the investigation into Clinton and protect her candidacy.”

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  Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The senator accused the then-FBI of taking a “kid gloves approach” to the Clinton investigation. Grassley thanked Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel for sharing the new information with the American public, and he urged them to “continue to fully review this matter, including its national security impact.”

Bondi commended Grassley for his “unwavering, years-long commitment to exposing the truth and holding those who seek to conceal it accountable.”

“This Department of Justice is fully committed to transparency and will continue to support good-faith efforts in Congress to ensure accountability across the federal government,” Bondi stated.

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