Attorney General Loretta Lynch to accept FBI recommendation in Clinton email probe

(Image credit: Allison Shelley/Getty Images)

published 1 July 2016

Attorney General Loretta Lynch will announce on Friday that she will not override a decision made by prosecutors and the FBI director about whether or not to bring charges over Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, sources told The New York Times. Prior to the announcement, Lynch, a political appointee, could have overruled the investigators' decision.

Investigators so far have determined that Clinton indeed used the server to send classified information; the Justice Department must now decide "whether the conduct met the legal standard for the crime of mishandling classified information," The New York Times reports.

Lynch and the Justice Department had reportedly considered relinquishing Lynch's ability to override, but were backed into the decision after she drew heavy criticism following a private meeting with Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton. "In light of the apparent conflicts of interest, I have called repeatedly on Attorney General Lynch to appoint a special counsel to ensure the investigation is as far from politics as possible," Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) demanded on Thursday.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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