Hillary Clinton free as FBI closes private email server probe

The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has once more cleared US Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton from any possible prosecution over the private email server scandal that has dogged her campaign.

In a letter to the American Congress, FBI director James Comey stated that their position on Clinton’s email controversy had not changed from the July decision.

US Congressman and chair of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee Jason Chaffetz announced on his Twitter account of Comey’s communication, “Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Sec Clinton.”

In July this year, Comey, who had been investigating Clinton over more than 30,000 emails recovered from her private server, adjudged the Democrat of having been careless in handling classified information.

“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,” she said.

On October 28, Comey had announced reviving investigation against Mrs. Clinton after more emails attributed to former controversial congressman Anthony Weiner were recovered in an unrelated probe.

Weiner is the estranged husband of Huma Abedin, a top Clinton aide. He has been being investigated by the FBI over illicit text messages he is alleged to have sent to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina.

The reopening of investigations against Clinton had jolted her campaign for the presidency, giving Republican candidate Donald Trump fresh fodder, in a week that boosted his charade for the Whitehouse.

Before the Comey update, Clinton was leading Trump in the polls by an average of three percentage points nationally, the lowest margin since the final presidential debate in mid-October.

Top Democrats had expressed their anger against Mr. COmey including President Barack Obama who accused the FBI Director of meddling with the US election campaign just days before the polls.

Traditionally US government agencies should not interfere or disclose sensitive information sixty days before an election.

Clinton campaign Sunday afternoon welcomed the latest news, saying they had been confident that no incriminating evidence would have been found in the fresh probe.

The candidate, who held a closing rally in Cleveland in the State of Ohio, gave the latest information a wide berth instead focusing on making her case against Trump.

With the hurdle out of the way for Clinton and with the decision coming just 63 hours to the deciding vote, the jury is out there to see if the major decision will influence the poll outcome and by what margin.