The Clinton camp is furious at the 'flimsy' FBI rationale for pre-election warrant in unsealed documents

James Comey.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

On Tuesday, a federal judge unsealed the search warrant and related documents used by the FBI to justify reactivating its investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server, less than two weeks before the presidential election. The Oct. 30 warrant request came two days after FBI Director James Comey took the unusual and controversial step of informing Congress and the public that agents had found emails that "appear to be pertinent" to the closed Clinton investigation. Two days before the election, Comey said the FBI had found nothing new and incriminating.

The unsealed affidavit, sworn out by an FBI official whose name was redacted, seems to argue that because the bureau's earlier investigation had uncovered classified information in emails to Clinton and aide Huma Abedin, and a seized laptop owned by Abedin's estranged husband, Anthony Weiner, contained emails to Abedin from the time period she was in regular contact with Clinton, "there is probable cause to believe the [laptop] contains correspondence" with classified information. "The Subject Laptop was never authorized for the storage or transmission of classified or national defense information," the affidavit added.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.