The Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), has released records from the Department of Justice (DOJ) that show how senior leadership during the Obama-Biden administration restricted investigations into the Clinton Foundation. The documents, which include internal emails and an investigatory timeline, were provided in response to Grassley's oversight request and whistleblower allegations.
Grassley commented on the findings: “The mainstream media smeared any investigation into Hillary Clinton as unfounded nonsense, but in reality, line agents and federal prosecutors seeking to follow up on legitimate leads were sidelined by partisan leadership looking to save Clinton’s reputation. That’s a night-and-day departure from how the Biden Justice Department handled the Arctic Frost investigation against President Trump. For too long, our Justice Department has chosen winners and losers instead of enforcing the law without regard to power, party or privilege. That must never happen again. I thank Attorney General Bondi and Director Patel for turning over these records, so the American people finally know how their Justice Department failed in the Clinton investigations.”
According to the records, on July 20, 2016—111 days before the presidential election—an FBI agent ordered that agents could not issue subpoenas or conduct interviews related to the Clinton Foundation due to “the sensitivities surrounding” it. They were also told not to share information about the foundation with other offices to avoid creating “any impression we are investigating the Clinton Foundation or the Clintons.”
In November 2016, while Andrew McCabe was Deputy Director of the FBI, headquarters blocked investigators from accessing evidence on Anthony Weiner's laptop that could have been relevant to their inquiry into Hillary Clinton’s aide Huma Abedin. Instead, McCabe recommended this material be sent to another team focused on classified information.
After reopening its investigation in 2017 under a new administration, prosecutors at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas said they received incomplete documents from DOJ leadership omitting references to interference by top officials. Further requests for information in 2018 did not receive responses and reportedly caused tension among agency leaders.
A prosecutor at EDAR wrote there appeared "to be conflicts of interest for leadership [at Main Justice] related to the 2016 [Clinton] investigations that undermine any confidence we might normally have in looking to them for assistance."
Chairman Grassley’s letter details these examples of interference and requests additional records from DOJ and FBI leaders Pamela Bondi and Kash Patel.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is a standing committee within Congress responsible for legislative review and oversight of federal law enforcement agencies such as DOJ and FBI. It reviews legislation concerning criminal justice and civil liberties; oversees federal agencies; evaluates judicial nominations; affects constitutional protections; influences public safety; and operates from Washington D.C., according to its official website.
The committee is chaired by Senator Grassley and includes members from both major political parties [source]. It plays a key role in reviewing legal matters nationwide [source].
