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2w ago

DOJ Releases Declassified OIG Appendix Exposing Gaps in FBI’s 2016 Clinton Email Probe

The appendix identifies internal privilege concerns and procedural constraints that halted a full review of hacked State Department data.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks during a news conference at the DEA headquarters on July 15, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia.
Hillary Clinton.
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Overview

  • Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley first sought the appendix in 2020 and obtained its release to shed light on the FBI’s investigative processes.
  • The document shows the FBI obtained thumb drives with hacked State Department emails, including messages linked to President Obama, but did not fully analyze them.
  • Bureau officials cited concerns over privileged victim data and never finalized a draft memo that recommended a comprehensive national security review.
  • Despite partial keyword searches by FBI teams—including one by Robert Mueller’s office—the drives were never fully examined and agents dismissed related Russian-language interference claims as unreliable.
  • The appendix’s release has intensified congressional scrutiny and coincides with DOJ criminal investigations into former FBI Director James Comey and ex-CIA Director John Brennan.