Newly declassified Justice Department documents suggest that former FBI Director James Comey, along with top officials Andrew McCabe and Peter Strzok, may have overlooked critical evidence during the Hillary Clinton email investigation—supporting long-standing claims from Senator Chuck Grassley that the FBI failed to properly search relevant materials.
The documents, released by Grassley’s office, point to thumb drives obtained during the Clinton probe that were never fully searched by the FBI. The DOJ Inspector General’s annex reportedly shows that agents had access to potentially important data but chose not to conduct targeted reviews.
“This raises serious questions about whether the FBI intentionally avoided uncovering damaging information,” Grassley said in a statement.
Comey, McCabe, Strzok Under Scrutiny
The new revelations place Comey and his team—including then-Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and former agent Peter Strzok—under renewed scrutiny. All three were involved in the 2016 investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she served as Secretary of State under President Obama.
The FBI concluded in 2016 that Clinton had been “extremely careless” with classified information but recommended no criminal charges. Of the 30,000 work-related emails reviewed, 110 were found to contain classified material, spread across 52 separate email chains.
Political Repercussions and Tulsi Gabbard’s Claims
These documents come shortly after former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard accused the Obama administration of fabricating the Trump–Russia collusion narrative. Gabbard’s explosive remarks have reignited conservative criticism of how the DOJ and FBI handled both the Clinton and Trump investigations.
Adding fuel to the controversy, former President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video on social media depicting Barack Obama being arrested in the Oval Office. The video, intended to mock the former president, shows Trump watching as agents handcuff Obama and later depicts him in an orange jumpsuit behind bars.
The Bigger Picture
The Clinton email scandal played a pivotal role in the 2016 presidential election, becoming a major Republican talking point. These new DOJ documents could revive debates over how federal agencies handled both Clinton’s email server and Trump’s alleged ties to Russia.
While Comey has long defended his actions, critics argue that both investigations were politically motivated and inconsistently applied. With the 2024 election season heating up and President Biden out of the race, this latest twist is likely to keep the Clinton email controversy in the political spotlight once again.
