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FBI issues new records on Hillary Clinton's email server probe

Xinhua, October 18, 2016 Adjust font size:

The FBI on Monday issued nearly 100 new pages of notes and interview summaries from its yearlong probe into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, revealing more about FBI's decision not to launch a criminal charge against the former secretary of state over the matter.

It is expected the records may also shed new lights on the possibility that Clinton may have mishandled classified information during her stay in the State Department.

The newly-published documents include an interview with an unnamed individual, who suggested that Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests related to Clinton went through a group sometimes called "the Shadow Government," according to a CNBC report.

"There was a powerful group of very high-ranking STATE officials that some referred to as 'The 7th Floor Group' or 'The Shadow Government.' This group met every Wednesday afternoon to discuss the FOIA process, Congressional records, and everything CLINTON-related to FOIA/Congressional inquiries," the FBI's interview summary said.

Another record revealed that one unnamed interviewee said that Undersecretary of State Patrick Kennedy pressured the FBI to unclassify certain emails from Hillary Clinton's private server that were previously deemed classified.

Lawmakers and aides from the House Oversight and Intelligence committees have claimed that the documents reveal evidence of a criminal "quid pro quo" between Kennedy and the FBI, according to a TheHill news daily report.

There could be at least "four hearings" on the material later this fall, Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) told the Fox News.

During this cycle's election campaign, House Republicans have repeatedly pressed the Justice Department on its decision not to file charges in the Clinton case, while Democrats have repeatedly claimed that Republicans are merely trying to hammer Clinton on the issue to damage her presidential hopes.

Earlier this year, FBI Director James Comey criticized Hillary Clinton had been "extremely careless" in dealing with classified information but insisted that no evidence supports a related criminal charge. The Justice Department then decided not to press charges over the matter.

"I want the American people to know we really did this the right way. You can disagree with us, but you cannot fairly say we did it in any kind of political way," Comey said in July. "We don't carry water for anybody. We were trying to do what the right thing is."

However, Republicans have refused to accept the Justice Department' s conclusion and have accused officials, including Comey, of creating a double standard for the Democratic nominee. Enditem