James Comey reportedly got some basic facts wrong in his Clinton email testimony, and the FBI is flummoxed


Last week, FBI Director James Comey testified before a Senate committee about his "painful" decision to publicly disclose that agents were looking at newly discovered Hillary Clinton emails on Oct. 28, just days before the presidential election. Clinton has said that she thinks Comey's letter to Congress, and the resulting heavy press coverage, was a significant contributor to her loss to President Trump, and some observers, like Nate Silver, find that credible.
Whether or not you believe Comey was right to publicly disclose an ongoing, very sensitive investigation about a presidential candidate right before the election — and Comey stands by his decision — he got some pretty significant details about what the FBI discovered wrong in his testimony last week, ProPublica reports, and the FBI is struggling to figure out how to fix his misstatements. "On Monday, the FBI was said to be preparing to correct the record by sending a letter to Congress later this week," ProPublica's Peter Elkind reported Monday night. "But that plan now appears on hold, with the bureau undecided about what to do."
In October, the FBI discovered a batch of Clinton emails on the laptop of Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin, and Comey testified last week that Abedin's emails were "being forwarded to Anthony Weiner, including classified information," and that she "appears to have had a regular practice of forwarding emails to him, for him I think to print out for her so she could then deliver them to the Secretary of State." In fact, "two sources familiar with the matter — including one in law enforcement," told Elkind, Abedin forwarded only a handful of emails to Weiner, not the "hundreds of thousands" Comey said, and most of the other emails were probably stored on Weiner's laptop as a result of regular backups of Abedin's BlackBerry.
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.
It's not clear if any of the emails Abedin forwarded to Weiner were among the 12 Comey said contained "classified" information, though none were marked classified at the time they were sent, Elkind says, and it's also unclear why Comey got his facts wrong. Comey re-closed the Clinton email investigation just before Election Day, saying agents had discovered nothing new and important. You can read more about the situation at ProPublica.
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.
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's opposition
The Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
Musk vows DOGE pullback as Tesla profits plunge
Speed Read The Tesla SEO says he will soon step back from government matters to devote more time to the company
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
IMF sees slump from tariffs, Trump tries to calm markets
Speed Read The International Monetary Fund predicts the U.S. and global economies will slow significantly due to the president's trade war
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
DHS chief Kristi Noem's purse stolen from eatery
Speed Read Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she dined with family at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump stands by Hegseth amid ouster reports
Speed Read The president dismissed reports that he was on the verge of firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over a second national security breach
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Hegseth reportedly shared war plans in 2nd group text
Speed Read The defense secretary sent information about an attack in Yemen to a Signal group chat that included his wife and brother
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cuts
Speed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deportee
Speed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
By Peter Weber, The Week US