Hillary Clinton called for the FBI to release what information they have during a press conference on Friday, October 28, amid news that the agency is now investigating new emails tied to her personal server.
The Democratic presidential candidate faced the latest headlines head-on during the conference, during which she revealed that she found out about the investigation the same time the American public did.
“No, we have not been contacted by anyone,” the former secretary of state, 69, responded when asked if the FBI had been in touch with her team. “First we knew about it is I assume when you knew about it, when this letter sent to Republican members of the House was released. So we don’t know the facts, which is why we’re calling on the FBI to release all the information that it has. Even [FBI] Director [James B.] Comey noted that this new information may not be significant, so let’s get it out.”
Earlier in the day, Comey released a letter explaining to members of Congress that the agency had uncovered new emails while looking into a separate, unrelated investigation into former congressman Anthony Weiner, and would do diligence by taking “investigative steps” to see whether or not there was any wrongdoing.
“In connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation,” Comey wrote. “I am writing to inform you that the investigative team briefed me on this yesterday, and I agreed that the FBI should take appropriate investigative steps designed to allow investigators to review these emails to determine whether they contain classified information, as well as to assess their importance to our investigation.”
At the press conference Friday, Clinton told reporters that she felt “confident whatever [the emails] are will not change the conclusion reached in July.” (Comey declared that the FBI would not recommend criminal charges against Clinton, though he did call her handling of sensitive information “extremely careless.”)
“Therefore, it’s imperative that the bureau explain this issue and question whatever it is without any delay,” Clinton said. “So I look forward to moving forward to focus on the important challenges facing the American people, winning on November 8, and working with all Americans to build a better future for our country.”
The New York Times reported Friday that Clinton’s emails may have been unearthed from electronic devices the FBI seized from her top aide, Huma Abiden, and Abiden’s husband, Weiner, in connection with the disgraced congressman’s most recent sexting scandal. Asked if she was aware of the connection, Clinton called the link a “rumor.”
“We’ve heard these rumors,” she said of her team. “We don’t know what to believe. And I’m sure there will be even more rumors.”
At a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, Friday, Clinton’s opponent, Donald Trump, praised the FBI’s decision to look into the emails, saying that he has “great respect for the fact that the FBI and the Department of Justice are now willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake that they made.”
