Inspector general on Comey: dissecting an error in judgment
Eleven days before the 2016 presidential election, FBI Director James Comey sent a three-paragraph letter to members of Congress announcing that the FBI was reopening its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.
The ramifications of the announcement were huge. Mr. Comey had said in July that no charges would be filed against Mrs. Clinton and that the investigation was closed. Now, suddenly, the investigation was being revived.
Press coverage about the reversal exploded, and Clinton’s six-point lead in the polls was cut in half as Election Day drew nearer. Many political analysts believe that had Comey not sent his Oct. 28 letter to Congress, Clinton would be president today.
Despite the FBI’s highly unusual and potentially influential role in the 2016 election, there has never been a detailed accounting of what led to Comey’s decision.
Until now.
On Thursday, Michael Horowitz, the Justice Department’s inspector general (IG), released a 565-page report based on his 17-month investigation into the FBI’s handling of the Clinton email case.
Comey’s Oct. 28 letter to Congress occupies only a portion of the massive investigative tome, but given its possible impact on the election, the letter and related events came under close scrutiny.
President Trump and his supporters have long charged that the FBI conducted a sham
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