In a brief statement from the Department of Justice on Wednesday, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in the Hillary Clinton email case that she had received and accepted a "unanimous recommendation" that "no charges be brought" in the State Department's investigation.
Late this afternoon, I met with FBI Director James Comey and career prosecutors and agents who conducted the investigation of Secretary Hillary Clinton’s use of a personal email system during her time as Secretary of State. I received and accepted their unanimous recommendation that the thorough, year-long investigation be closed and that no charges be brought against any individuals within the scope of the investigation.
Her statement comes a day after FBI director James Comey recommended that Clinton face no criminal charges because there was no evidence of "intentional and willful mishandling of classified information" in her actions.
After she came under fire for her airport meeting with former president Bill Clinton last week, Lynch said Friday that she would accept the recommendations that Comey and career prosecutors gave her. True to her word, Lynch formally brought the year-long investigation to a close on Wednesday following a meeting with Comey and the prosecutors.
Comey and Lynch will soon appear before the House Oversight Committee and the House Judiciary Committee to testify on the investigation. Many Republican lawmakers have already expressed criticism and outrage in response to the investigation's conclusion. House Speaker Paul Ryan has also told reporters that he wants Clinton barred from classified briefings on national security that are customarily given to presidential candidates.
Congressional Republicans are not the only ones who have publicly reacted to the statements of the FBI Director and Attorney General. In response to their decision to not bring any charges against Clinton, whistleblower Edward Snowden responded with confusion.
While the investigation itself may have come to a close, the controversy it has generated is not likely to die down right away. Although Lynch accepted Comey's recommendations against an indictment, Comey was heavily critical of Clinton's "careless" actions in his statement, saying that she and her team should have "known better" than to use a private email server. NPR's Domenico Montanaro is therefore right in saying that Clinton is lucky to be running against Donald Trump — while this extensive investigation has put Clinton in a dangerous position, many #NeverTrump Republicans still prefer her to the presumptive GOP nominee.
