On Oct. 28, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey reopened the Clinton email investigation.
Shortly after, top Democrats launched scathing attacks against him. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, one of the most strident Clinton defenders, alleged that Comey is helping Republicans stoke innuendo and falsehoods days before the election...
To that point, Comey indeed ran the risk of violating the Hatch Act, which prevents high-level government employees from engaging in pernicious political activity.
But here's the thing - there's a reason why Comey may have felt there was no choice but to reopen the investigation...
Why Comey Had to Reopen the Clinton Email Investigation
Comey reopened the investigation into Clinton's emails to back up his past actions and statements.
You see, in sworn testimony before Congress on July 7, Comey said his department's investigation was "competent" and "honest."
If Comey did nothing about the newly discovered emails on Anthony Weiner's laptop, he could be accused of conspiracy - or worse, perjury - especially if the new emails surfaced after the election. In fact, Comey's announcement on Oct. 28 was partly driven by fear from leaks within his own agency, according to FBI sources interviewed by Reuters on Nov. 3.
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Apparently, there's a faction of the FBI's New York Field Office (those who discovered the new emails) that are openly hostile against Clinton, according to FBI sources interviewed by the Huffington Post on Nov. 3. This same faction was reportedly responsible for a surge in media leaks about details into the separate FBI investigation into the Clinton Foundation. There's a chance these rogue agents might have taken adverse action had Comey refused to reopen the investigation.
There's also another key detail in Comey's decision...
The FBI knew about the emails (weeks ago before his Oct. 28 announcement), but Comey was only briefed on Oct. 27 - just a day before his announcement...
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When New York agents (those investigating Weiner's laptop for child pornography) found emails relating to Clinton's private email server, they reported them to FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe (second in command) on Oct. 3, according to CNN.
The agents told McCabe they needed a warrant to review the discovered emails for the Clinton case. But several weeks passed before McCabe requested one...
There is a theory as to what caused McCabe's delay...
McCabe's wife received $500,000 while running for the Virginia state senate from the political action committee (PAC) of a close Clinton friend and current Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
Clinton herself was a keynote speaker at a major fundraiser for the same PAC shortly before the group directed the $500,000 toward McCabe's wife.
Of course, it's highly speculative that McCabe sat on his hands because of his connection with Clinton. Whatever the case, it appears Comey's hand may have been forced to preserve his own integrity and his decision, as there could be far worse repercussions against Comey if details about Clinton's new emails were leaked after the election.
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