Latest Clinton Email Investigation: Will Case Reopen With Criminal Charges?

The Clinton email investigation has been the center of several controversies over the last several months. The case had taken a back seat due to Clinton losing the elections and the alleged Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election.

The investigation of Clinton’s emails was first initiated in July of 2015, and since then, several email dumps have occurred, with the latest one being released on Sunday. This release includes 300 pages of emails that Clinton sent to her adviser Sid Blumenthal.

The latest Clinton email investigation dump indicates that Blumenthal was hacked by at least three foreign government agencies. These agencies obtained emails sent by Clinton that contained state secrets.

The hackers were the Russians, Chinese, and Israelis. Both the Russians and the Chinese are considered to be hostile, whereas Israelis are considered friendly. The latest revelation makes the case against Clinton far more serious than previously presented by Comey.

Will Clinton Email Investigation Be Reopened?

Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano believes that the investigation of Clinton’s email will be reopened.

He further explained that metrics used to reopen an investigation or to indict somebody includes inferring whether any harm has been caused by the action of the accused. He insists that the investigation would be reopened with criminal charges.

Senator Jeff Sessions has informed the Senate Judiciary Committee this week that he will step down from all further investigations into Clinton’s emails. Unintentionally, however, he may have acknowledged that the case would be reopened. Jeff Sessions was nominated by Trump to be attorney general and has been a harsh critic of Clinton, reported Fox News.

If proved that substantial secrets were exposed due to the email leaks, then Clinton would be in violation of an agreement signed after taking the office. In the agreement, Clinton had essentially promised to protect the secrets of the nation.

Why Was The Clinton Email Investigation Closed?

FBI Director James Comey had accused Clinton of being extremely careless, exposing top-secret documents, and using non-secure mobile devices in hostile government territories.

Former President Bill Clinton met with Attorney General Loretta Lynch, but both denied talking about Clinton email investigation. Later, Lynch took herself off the case, so Comey inferred that no prosecutor would take a case against Mrs. Clinton and decided to close it altogether.

However, the investigation was reopened 11 days before the election. The FBI had announced that they found new evidence in a laptop jointly owned by Huma Abedin and her husband, Anthony Weiner.

The investigation was once again closed, this time after only seven days. The FBI announced that there was no relevant evidence in the 650,000 emails, resulting in the case being closed for the second time.

Why is FBI Being Investigated?

Meanwhile, the U.S. Justice Department has announced that it will investigate the FBI on its handling of the inquiry into Clinton’s emails.

The Office of Inspector General stated that their investigation would involve the decisions of reopening the email investigation in October and public statements by FBI Director.

Inspector General Michael Horowitz said, “It is decided to open this review in response to requests from numerous chairmen and ranking members of congressional oversight committees, various organizations and members of the public.”

Clinton and the Democrats have both blamed Comey’s announcement for their defeat. They accused that the release of the announcement right before the elections had damaged her reputation, as reported by the Washington Times.

FBI Director James Comey said that the FBI would cooperate fully with the investigation. He believes everyone will benefit from a thoughtful evaluation regarding this matter.

Experts believe that law enforcement officials are not supposed to disclose details of the investigations that do not end in criminal charges. To many, Comey’s announcement seemed liked a violation of this protocol.

It is interesting to note that President-elect Donald Trump will not have the power to dismiss the investigation after he takes office, as it requires written justification to Congress 30 days in advance.

[Featured Image by Sait Serkan Gurbuz/AP Images]