House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI)
The FBI will not recommend any charges against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server to store classified information – a decision U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) said “defies explanation.”
After its lengthy investigation, FBI Director James Comey said Tuesday that, despite evidence that Clinton and her colleagues’ actions were “extremely careless,” the agency’s referral of the case to the Department of Justice will not include any recommendation of charges being filed. “Although there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case,” he said.
In a statement, Speaker Ryan blasted the decision and warned of the potential impact it could have. “No one should be above the law. But based upon the director’s own statement, it appears damage is being done to the rule of law. Declining to prosecute Secretary Clinton for recklessly mishandling and transmitting national security information will set a terrible precedent.”
The Janesville Republican said the findings of the investigation clearly show Clinton “misled the American people.” He also called for more information to be made available about how the FBI came to its decision.