Daijiworld Media Network- Washington
Washington, Jul 22: Fresh controversy has erupted in the United States over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s email scandal, as declassified documents allege that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) failed to adequately investigate key evidence linked to her private server use.
According to an appendix to a 2018 report by the Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General, the FBI received thumb drives from a confidential source containing highly sensitive information, including communications from then-President Barack Obama. Despite the significance of the material, the federal agency is said to have made little effort to examine the contents.
US Senator Chuck Grassley, in a statement following the release of the documents, criticised the agency’s handling of the case. He claimed that former FBI Director James Comey, Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, and Agent Peter Strzok failed to conduct additional searches that could have revealed crucial details. The drives reportedly held data exfiltrated from US government agencies, including the Department of State, which were never incorporated into the Clinton email investigation.
The material, according to the report, included potentially sensitive or classified information and had been flagged for further review. However, internal resistance and concerns over privacy reportedly prevented the FBI from pursuing the data as part of the wider investigation into Clinton's email usage.
Hillary Clinton, during her tenure from 2009 to 2013, had used a private server for both official and personal communication—an action that first drew public scrutiny in 2015. Although the FBI later stated that there was no evidence of clearly marked classified information on her server, the latest revelations have reignited criticism of the investigation’s integrity.
As questions mount over whether due diligence was exercised, there is renewed focus on how key evidence was treated and whether the investigation’s scope was deliberately limited.