FBI Director James Comey, center, said today that “no reasonable prosecutor” would bring a case against Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

FBI Director James Comey, center, said in July “no reasonable prosecutor” would bring a case against Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server. Today he told Congress that the FBI is reviewing additional emails. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Update: The New York Times reports that the emails were discovered after the FBI seized devices belonging to Clinton aide Huma Abedin and her unfortunate choice of husband, Anthony Weiner, who is under federal investigation for allegedly sexting a teenager.

The Clinton camp is now calling on Comey to provide additional information, saying the timing of the cryptic note to GOP congressional chairmen—just 11 days from the election—is extraordinary. “The Director owes it to the American people to immediately provide the full details of what he is now examining. We are confident this will not produce any conclusions different from the one the FBI reached in July,” campaign chairman John Podesta said in a statement.

In summary:

Original:

Surprise, October.

The FBI is again investigating emails related to Hillary Clinton during her tenure as secretary of state, director James Comey said in a letter to Congress today. Their significance, content, if Clinton sent them herself , and even whether they were sent using her private email server are all unknown.

After being briefed on an unrelated case, Comey said the FBI learned of emails that “appear to be pertinent” to the investigation into Clinton’s personal email server, though their significance remains “unclear.”

The FBI closed the investigation in July without charging Clinton with a crime, saying “that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case.” But Comey did rebuke the Democratic presidential nominee for handling classified information in an “extremely careless” manner.

In today’s letter, though, he said the FBI would now “take appropriate investigative steps” to review the new emails “to determine whether they contain classified information, as well as to assess their importance to our investigation.” Comey added that he can’t predict how long the additional work will take, and he didn’t say what the unrelated case involves. NBC’s Pete Williams has been reporting, citing law enforcement sources, that the e-mails Comey referenced weren’t withheld by Clinton or her campaign. According to Williams, it isn’t related to Wikileaks, Podesta’s emails, or the Russian hacking investigation. He said the FBI came across “a device” that “led them to some other emails, but they are not emails from Hillary Clinton.”

The Dow took a sudden plunge on the news.

Republicans, meanwhile, cheered the decision. “This decision, long overdue, is the result of her reckless use of a private email server, and her refusal to be forthcoming with federal investigators,” said Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. “I renew my call for the Director of National Intelligence to suspend all classified briefings for Secretary Clinton until this matter is fully resolved.”

Speaking at a rally in New Hampshire, Republican nominee Donald Trump said: “It might not be as rigged as I thought. The FBI, I think they’re going to right the ship, folks.”

The Clinton campaign has yet to make a statement (Clinton and her press corps only recently landed from a flight), but we imagine there is more of this going around.

Comey’s letter, in full:

In previous Congressional testimony, I referred to the fact that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had completed its investigation of former Secretary Clinton’s personal email server. Due to recent developments, I am writing to supplement my previous testimony.

In connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation. 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.

Although the FBI cannot yet assess whether this material may be significant, and I cannot predict how long it will take us to complete this additional work, I believe it is important to update your Committees about our efforts in light of my previous testimony.


This post has been updated

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