Here's How To Read The FBI's Clinton Investigation

On Friday, some major news dropped in the 2016 presidential election, and plenty of people are going to want to dive in ― if you're curious how to read the FBI's Hillary Clinton investigation documents, you're in luck, because they've now been made public. The initial controversy over Clinton's use of a private email server, the months-long FBI investigation, and Clinton's eventual clearance by the bureau's director, James Comey, have been some of the durable, most vexing issues confronting her campaign, worsened by the ceaseless slow-drip of new documents, emails, and reports.

And now there's a new raft of documents to pour over, so if you're the kind of politics-watcher who loves a good deep-dig, and you've got some free time, you should set some of it aside to check out what the FBI just released. Overall, it amounts to a summary of the bureau's interview with Clinton, and a shorter report on its findings. They files include some heavy redactions, which is common in public disclosures like these. You can download all the pages in .PDF form from the FBI's official website ― they are broken up into two different files, with 58 pages in total between them.

The FBI has been caught in a perilous position over the last several months, both charged with investigating Clinton's email habits and her handling of classified material while strenuously trying to avoid the perception that it's getting involved in the political process. When Comey announced in July that Clinton would not be indicted, he nonetheless took a very condemning tone towards her behavior, describing her and her colleagues as having been "extremely careless" in handling classified information.

Predictably, the FBI's decision not to indict Clinton sparked outrage among countless anti-Clinton conservatives and Republicans ― you might remember that during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July, attendees were regularly roaring "lock her up" in unison, sometimes egged on by the speakers. Make no mistake, the GOP has been trying to find disqualifying dirt on Clinton for decades, just as it has with the Benghazi attacks, the Clinton Foundation, and dating all the way back to her husband's time in the White House, with the Whitewater controversy.

Luckily, you don't have to take anybody else's word for what these newly released FBI documents say, however, because they've been opened up for public consumption. So, regardless of your views on Clinton ― whether you're staunchly opposed to her, or an ardent supporter, or even just kinda meh ― feel free to grab a cup of tea and settle in for a nice, long read. If you're looking for the direct download links to the two .PDF files, you can download the first part here, and the second part here.