The October Surprise: Michael Isikoff on the FBI's Clinton Email Investigation That Could Jolt Race
The race for the White House was jolted on Friday when FBI Director James Comey notified congressional leaders that the agency had discovered more emails as part of its probe into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email system. The emails were discovered as part of an investigation into former Congressmember Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin. Abedin reportedly stored hundreds of thousands of emails on Weiner’s computer, which was seized by the FBI after Weiner allegedly sent illicit text messages to a 15-year-old girl. Comey notified Congress before the FBI had even obtained a warrant to look at Abedin’s email. A warrant was reportedly issued over the weekend. On the campaign trail, Donald Trump welcomed Comey’s announcement, which came just 11 days before Election Day. Hillary Clinton is not alone in criticizing James Comey’s actions. A bipartisan group of former federal prosecutors signed an open letter, writing, "Many of us have worked with Director Comey; all of us respect him. But his unprecedented decision to publicly comment on evidence in what may be an ongoing inquiry just eleven days before a presidential election leaves us both astonished and perplexed."