You may soon be able to read the FBI warrant that helped sink Hillary Clinton


Earlier this week, a federal judge in Manhattan suggested that he may approve a motion to unseal the search warrant that led FBI Director James Comey to announce that Hillary Clinton's email investigation had been reactivated just 11 days before the presidential election — only to announce nine days later that the FBI had found nothing new. "Countless American citizens, including Secretary Clinton, believe that Comey's announcement and the reopening of the investigation might have single-handedly swayed the election," says the lawsuit, filed by E. Randol Schoenberg, a lawyer most famous for recovering Nazi-looted art to its Jewish owners.
On Tuesday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel said he is inclined to make the warrant and related documents public, despite the FBI's ongoing investigation into Anthony Weiner's sexting, which led to the discovery of Clinton emails. "Director Comey described that as an unrelated case," Castel said, giving the government two days to file its arguments as to why the warrant and other documents should be kept sealed.
This may seem like relitigating done deals, but Schoenberg said it is important to understand what happened. "Why did they think they had evidence of a crime?" he told Newsweek on Wednesday. "There's a possibility that somebody gave them false information because they wanted them to reopen the investigation." Schoenberg said he is interested in what contact Donald Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani had with the FBI personnel behind the investigation, and who in the FBI and judiciary signed off on the warrant, among other things. "We should find out something from this," he said. "Where it will end, it's anybody's guess."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
'Arise, Sir Goldenballs': David Beckham plays the long game in quest for knighthood
Talking Point Former footballer set to be knighted in King's birthday honours after years of snubs
-
Quiz of The Week: 31 May – 6 June
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
The Week Unwrapped: How did Japan become a space superpower?
Podcast Plus, why on earth are Labubu dolls so popular? Will buy-now-pay-later cause a new financial crisis?
-
Trump hits Africa, Middle East with new travel ban
Speed Read The travel ban bars visitors from 12 countries and restricts entry from seven
-
Elon Musk slams Trump's 'pork-filled' signature bill
speed read 'Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong,' Musk posted on X
-
Depleted FEMA struggling as hurricane season begins
speed read FEMA has lost a third of its workforce amid DOGE cuts enforced by President Donald Trump
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge