By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Tuesday, July 5, FBI Director James Comey announced that after a lengthy investigation the Federal Bureau of Investigation would not recommend that federal prosecutors indict former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) for her mishandling of classified material.
Director Comey said, “Although there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case… To be clear, this is not to suggest that in similar circumstances, a person who engaged in this activity would face no consequences.”
Reaction from Republicans ranged from shock to disappointment to anger.
US Representative Martha Roby (R-Montgomery) said in a statement, “It’s a sad day for the rule of law in our country. While it is hardly surprising that Hillary Clinton will evade prosecution, I think a lot of people still believed the idea that no one is above the law might still ultimately prevail.”
US Representative Bradley Byrne said, “I’m very concerned by the idea that any American thinks they are above the law. Criminal or not, these actions make clear that Secretary Clinton put classified information at risk of being accessed by foreign and rouge sources. Just as bad, she spent months lying to and misleading the American people.”
US Senator Marco Rubio (R from Florida) said in his own statement, “The FBI’s decision regarding Hillary Clinton’s mishandling of classified emails once again proves that she is disqualified from being Commander-in-Chief. This is not the last Clinton controversy we will see and we cannot afford to have this kind of leader in the White House.”
US Senator Richard Shelby (R-Alabama) said, “Senator Shelby said in a public statement, “Today the FBI confirmed that Hillary Clinton misled the American people and was ‘extremely careless’ with classified information both sent and received on her private e-mail server. While I appreciate and respect the hard work of the FBI, I have serious concerns with their recommendation after uncovering that Hillary Clinton grossly mishandled matters relating to national security. If the DOJ follows the FBI’s recommendation, it could set a dangerous precedent for not holding a public official accountable for reckless actions.”
US Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said, “Yesterday, Americans celebrated the 240th birthday of our Republic. We honored not only those who fought and died to defend our way of life, but the constitutional Republic for which they sacrificed. If we are to remain a beacon of hope and freedom for the rest of the world, it is incumbent upon us to ensure that we remain a nation of laws, and that our laws apply equally and fairly to us all. Under President Obama, we have seen the most politicized Department of Justice in history; I very much hope that politicization has not similarly corrupted the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I join my Senate Judiciary colleagues, including Chairman Grassley, in calling for public transparency of, and full access to, all the information that the FBI used to come to today’s dubious decision.”
Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump tweeted, “The system is rigged. General Petraeus got in trouble for far less. Very very unfair! As usual, bad judgment.”
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) said, “While I respect the law enforcement professionals at the FBI, this announcement defies explanation. No one should be above the law. But based upon the director’s own statement, it appears damage is being done to the rule of law. Declining to prosecute Secretary Clinton for recklessly mishandling and transmitting national security information will set a terrible precedent. The findings of this investigation also make clear that Secretary Clinton misled the American people when she was confronted with her criminal actions. While we need more information about how the Bureau came to this recommendation, the American people will reject this troubling pattern of dishonesty and poor judgment.”
A triumphant Hillary Clinton was out campaigning with President Obama. The timing of the joint event made many persons speculate that the White House already knew how Director Comey was going to rule on the Hillary Clinton email scandal.
The decision by Director Comey clears the last hurdle that Mrs. Clinton faced in her pursuit of the Democratic Presidential nomination.
