Options before FBI in Hillary Clinton email case

A week ago, FBI director James B. Comey’s letter to Congress saying the bureau had discovered new emails that might be relevant to Hillary Clinton’s use of a private server unleashed a hurricane of news about Clinton’s family foundation, Russia and FBI infighting. Here is what it means.

What is the FBI investigating FBI agents seized a laptop belonging to Hillary Clinton’s aide Huma Abedin’s estranged husband, Anthony D. Weiner, on October 3 as part of an investigation into whether he had exchanged illicit text messages with a 15-year-old girl. Investigators want to know if Abedin’s emails will change the conclusion Comey announced in July, that no one in Clinton’s inner circle should be prosecuted for mishandling classified information.

When will Comey announce what the FBI has found Comey has provided no updates on the case since last week. FBI officials say it will be difficult to complete the review by next Tuesday’s election as there are hundreds of thousands of emails on the laptop, although only a small fraction may be related to the Clinton investigation.

What does the Clinton Foundation have to do with the email inquiry Not much. The FBI opened a preliminary investigation into the Clinton Foundation in 2015 after the publication of the book “Clinton Cash’’ by Peter Schweizer, a former fellow at the conservative Hoover Institution, which asserted that some foreign entities gave money to former President Bill Clinton and the Clinton Foundation in return for State Department favours when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state. She has denied those claims. During the investigation into the foundation, FBI agents in New York wanted to take more overt steps, like conducting interviews and obtaining subpoenas. But senior FBI and Justice Department officials were wary of agents making any waves that could affect the election. FBI agents working on the case countered that they could not learn if a law was broken if they were not able to exhaust all investigative steps. Senior officials stood firm. The investigation remains open but dormant.

What’s the mood like at the FBI Bad. The FBI is not used to being in the middle of a political maelstrom. Agents say they will weather the political storm, but they wonder if the FBI’s reputation for impartiality has been irreparably damaged.