FBI Finds Clinton 'Extremely Careless' With Emails, but Won't Recommend Charges
The Secretary of State and her staff mishandled confidential emails but the FBI found no indication they knowingly broke laws.
The FBI has announced that no charges will be recommended against presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton in the seemingly endless investigation into her use of a private email server while serving as Secretary of State.
FBI Director James Comey made the announcement at a press conference Tuesday. While Comey called Clinton and her staff's handling of classified information "extremely careless," he said there was no indication they knowingly attempted to skirt the law.
"Although there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case," Comey said of legal action against the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Comey added: "In looking back at our investigations into mishandling or removal of classified information, we cannot find a case that would support bringing criminal charges on these facts."
Nonetheless, the investigation uncovered multiple email chains in which Clinton and her staff shared classified info, Comey said.
"From the group of 30,000 e-mails returned to the State Department, 110 emails in 52 email chains have been determined by the owning agency to contain classified information at the time they were sent or received.
"Eight of those chains contained information that was 'top secret' at the time they were sent; 36 chains contained 'secret information' at the time; and eight contained 'confidential' information, which is the lowest level of classification," the FBI director said.
Comey also said Clinton should have realized that what she and her staff were doing was inappropriate.
"There is evidence to support a conclusion that any reasonable person in Secretary Clinton's position... should have known that an unclassified system was no place for [sensitive] conversation," he said.
Read: Hillary Clinton Interviewed For 3.5 Hours At FBI Headquarters Over Private Email Server
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was quick to criticize the decision, which comes as a blow to his long-time narrative that Clinton was certain to be prosecuted.
"FBI director said Crooked Hillary compromised our national security. No charges. Wow! #RiggedSystem," Trump tweeted.
The Clinton campaign also reacted to the news.
"We are pleased that the career officials handling this case have determined that no further action by the Department is appropriate," Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said.
"As the Secretary has long said, it was a mistake to use her personal email and she would not do it again. We are glad that this matter is now resolved."
Clinton was slated to address a crowd alongside President Obama in Charlotte just hours after Comey's announcement.
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