On Monday, July 21, a declassified document from the U.S. Department of Justice revealed that former FBI director James Comey prematurely announced the termination of the investigation into former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and suppressed key evidence under the influence of mysterious classified intelligence reports.
The report was ordered to be unsealed by Attorney General Pamela Bondi in response to a request from Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. It was a confidential appendix to the 2018 report on the FBI’s investigation of the Hillary email scandal, conducted by the Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz.
Hillary was under FBI investigation for mishandling classified information while serving as Secretary of State, a case internally referred to as the “Midyear Exam.” The appendix criticized the FBI for its politicization in handling the investigation, stating that the FBI mishandled the investigation by failing to properly investigate even the USB drive containing potentially crucial information.
Comey unilaterally announced the conclusion of the investigation in July 2016 and brought charges against Hillary, about four months before the election day for the Democratic presidential candidate. Around the same time, the FBI officially launched the “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation to probe potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to influence the election outcome.
Senator Grassley, upon releasing the confidential appendix of the DOJ oversight report, pointed out that the FBI showed extreme lack of effort and due diligence in investigating Hillary’s use of email and handling classified information. He criticized Comey’s leadership for neglecting basic investigative work and disregarding key evidence, contrasting it with the exhaustive investigation into the alleged Trump-Russia collusion, known as the “Russia investigation” or “Russiagate,” which was based on the unverified and later proven fabricated Steele dossier.
Grassley stated, “Comey’s decision-making process was clearly tainted by political influences.”
In 2018, Grassley had been seeking the publication of this confidential document from the DOJ and FBI. In 2019, he submitted a request to then-Attorney General Bill Barr. In 2020, in collaboration with Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Grassley requested President Trump to declassify the document. In 2025, Grassley once again requested Attorney General Bondi to release the document.
Here is a timeline based on the declassified report, covering key events related to the FBI investigations into Hillary and its aftermath:
June 2015: According to the declassified information, Democratic leadership was aware of issues related to Hillary’s private email server and potential corruption within the Clinton Foundation but took no action.
Late May 2016: The FBI Office of General Counsel drafted a memo recommending a thorough review of a USB drive containing sensitive information related to Hillary’s private email server to assess national security risks. However, the memo was not finalized or submitted, and the USB drive was not reviewed.
The FBI received two intelligence reports alleging connections between then-Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and individuals related to the Soros Open Society Foundation, accusing the Obama administration of attempting to intervene in the Midyear Exam investigation to protect Hillary’s candidacy. The FBI deemed these reports “superficially not credible” and did not investigate further.
June 2016: Then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch met with former President Bill Clinton on the tarmac of Phoenix airport, raising questions about the investigation’s impartiality. Lynch stated she would accept the FBI’s recommendation but refused to recuse herself from the case.
July 5, 2016: Comey unilaterally issued a public statement announcing the end of the Midyear Exam investigation, stating that he did not recommend criminal charges against Hillary. The statement acknowledged that 110 emails (52 email chains) contained classified information but deemed it unlikely that “any reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case.”
Comey changed “gross negligence” to “extremely careless” in the statement, avoiding direct criminal responsibility implications. Part of Comey’s decision was driven by concerns about potential leaks of intelligence reports, prompting him not to inform Lynch beforehand to protect the FBI’s independence and investigative credibility.
July 2016 (around the same time): The FBI officially launched the “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation into allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. The report indicated that the FBI devoted more resources to this investigation than the one involving Hillary.
Fall 2016: The FBI discovered emails related to Hillary on the laptop of former Congressman Anthony Weiner, but took delayed action. Weiner’s then-wife Huma Abedin was a member of Hillary’s campaign team and her closest aide.
The 2018 Inspector General report revealed that the FBI’s actions may have been influenced by agent Peter Strzok’s anti-Trump bias, leading to prioritization of the Russia investigation.
Early July 2017: Comey indirectly referenced mysterious intelligence reports during his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, suggesting that they influenced his decision to unilaterally close the case. He mentioned that the Senate had been briefed but certain details in public reporting were “untrue.”