Additional Coverage:
A newly declassified Department of Justice report reveals the FBI, under then-Director James Comey, may have cut corners in its investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. The report, released by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, alleges the FBI failed to fully investigate the extent of Clinton’s email practices while serving as Secretary of State.
This new information, referred to as the “Clinton annex,” supplements the original 2018 DOJ report. According to a Judiciary Committee press release, Senator Grassley has been seeking access to this document since 2018, renewing his request to then-Attorney General Bill Barr in 2019. He and Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) also requested its declassification by then-President Donald Trump in 2020, with Grassley reiterating the request in 2025.
In a statement, Senator Grassley criticized the FBI’s handling of the investigation: “This document shows an extreme lack of effort and due diligence in the FBI’s investigation of former Secretary Clinton’s email usage and mishandling of highly classified information. Under Comey’s leadership, the FBI failed to perform fundamental investigative work and left key pieces of evidence on the cutting room floor.” He added, “I warned years ago that the Clinton investigation failed to hit the mark, and I’m grateful the American people can finally see the facts for themselves.”
Grassley expressed his gratitude to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel for their efforts in declassifying the document and urged them to continue a thorough review of the matter, including its potential national security implications.
The annex reportedly details how the FBI obtained a thumb drive from a source, but Comey, along with then-Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, former agent Peter Strzok, and other members of the investigative team, allegedly failed to thoroughly examine its contents. The report further alleges the FBI neglected to fully assess the national security risks associated with Clinton’s handling of classified information.
According to the DOJ report, the thumb drives contained “sensitive information exfiltrated from U.S. government agencies, including the Department of State, as well as then-President Barack Obama’s emails and, potentially, congressional information.” The DOJ asserts that the FBI did not examine these drives.
The report also suggests the FBI received intelligence reports detailing communication between then-Democratic National Convention chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and two individuals affiliated with the Soros Open Society Foundations. Clinton was ultimately cleared by Comey in 2018.