Senate Republicans, led by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), are reopened the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server, citing newly declassified evidence that the FBI ignored critical material, including thumb drives loaded with sensitive government data.
Grassley’s announcement comes on the heels of a 35-page annex from the Justice Department Inspector General’s 2018 report, which reveals that top Obama-era FBI officials—Comey, McCabe, and Strzok among them—failed to follow up on evidence during the original Clinton probe.
“Justice is coming,” Grassley said, “and this time, nothing will be swept under the rug.”
What the Declassified Annex Shows
The annex confirms that the FBI obtained thumb drives from a source during the Clinton investigation that contained:
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Highly classified information exfiltrated from U.S. agencies, including the Department of State
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Emails linked to President Barack Obama
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Potential congressional communications
According to the report, the thumb drives were never reviewed, despite internal FBI recommendations urging immediate analysis for potential foreign intelligence risks.
“This was not an oversight—it was willful neglect,” Grassley stated in his press release.
Comey, McCabe, Strzok Accused of Political Protection
Grassley says former FBI Director James Comey, former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, and disgraced agent Peter Strzok failed to pursue obvious national security risks in the Clinton investigation—even while opening a full-scale, evidence-free probe into President Trump under Crossfire Hurricane.
Strzok’s now-infamous July 31, 2016, text to Lisa Page—sent the same day Crossfire Hurricane was launched—read:
“The other one did [matter], too, but that was to ensure we didn’t F something up. This matters because this MATTERS.”
Grassley argues this proves the Clinton probe was rigged to protect her candidacy, while Trump was targeted from the start.
DOJ Knew But Did Nothing
The annex also describes intelligence reports indicating that the Obama administration worked behind the scenes to shut down the Clinton probe.
These reports allegedly include communications between Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, then DNC Chair, and individuals connected to George Soros’s Open Society Foundations.
Once again, the FBI failed to vet the intelligence.
Matt Taibbi Reaction
As journalist Matt Taibbi described it, the Clinton investigation—based on the newly released annex—resembles a “Keystone Cops operation,” exposing glaring incompetence or deliberate neglect by top FBI brass.
Notably, the annex was kept sealed for seven years under Obama-appointed DOJ IG Michael Horowitz, who quietly transferred to the Federal Reserve last month—just before the release.
“There was no compelling reason to censor it,” investigative reporter Paul Sperry noted.
Sperry also pointed out that new text and email records may point to Hatch Act violations and could form the basis of a broader criminal conspiracy, potentially circumventing any statute of limitations.
