It has been nearly a decade since James Comey stood behind that podium and declared that “no reasonable prosecutor” would pursue criminal charges against Hillary Clinton over her private email server.
But only now, with the release of a newly declassified appendix to the Justice Department’s 2018 Inspector General report, are we beginning to understand what influenced that decision. And what we’re seeing is not the conduct of a man faithfully executing the law. What we’re seeing is a betrayal.
From Jerry Dunleavy at Just the News:
The details are part of a classified appendix to DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s 2018 report criticizing the politicized conduct of the FBI’s Midyear Exam investigation into Clinton’s mishandling of classified information through the use of a private server while she was secretary of state.
Comey unilaterally announced in a July 2016 speech – about four months before Election Day for the Democratic presidential nomine(e) – the investigation had been concluded with charges being brought against her.
The appendix reveals that Comey’s controversial decision was heavily influenced by what the report refers to as “classified, highly sensitive intelligence.” This intelligence, so mysterious it wasn’t even shared with Congress at the time, reportedly raised concerns about potential Russian disinformation infiltrating the political process.
And it was this intelligence, not hard evidence, not prosecutorial standards, not fidelity to justice, that led Comey to publicly close the case.
And for that, the thumb drives were ignored.
A Duty Dodged
The very idea that a sitting FBI Director could let unseen, unverified intelligence override an active investigation into a former Secretary of State’s mishandling of classified material should chill anyone who still cares about equal justice under the law.
Even worse: according to the New York Post, Clinton's emails were contained in thumbdrives and handed to the FBI by her own legal team, and were never reviewed.
More from Dunleavy:
“This document shows an extreme lack of effort and due diligence in the FBI’s investigation of former Secretary Clinton’s email usage and mishandling of highly classified information,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Monday as he released the classified appendix to the DOJ watchdog report.
“Under Comey’s leadership, the FBI failed to perform fundamental investigative work and left key pieces of evidence on the cutting room floor. The Comey FBI’s negligent approach and perhaps intentional lack of effort in the Clinton investigation is a stark contrast to its full-throated investigation of the Trump-Russia collusion hoax, which was based on the uncorroborated and now discredited Steele dossier. Comey’s decision-making process smacks of political infection.”
Let's let this sink in: The Bureau logged them, then... nothing.
In a situation potentially involving Espionage Act violations, physical evidence was, for lack of a better word, ignored.
Comey, in his infinite wisdom, turned his full attention to unconfirmable and vague intelligence that wouldn't be verified or challenged by the public, including Congress or internal DOJ oversight.
Comey ignored what he had in his hands and chased shadows, calling it leadership.
Smoke, Mirrors, and Career Protection
Comey enjoyed living up to the perception of being a man above the fray. A person who doesn't bend to the will of political pressure.
Yet, this newly declassified appendix paints an entirely different picture of a man who listened to whispers behind closed doors, rather than an objective man acting on the facts presented to him.
This clarifies our perception of a man more concerned about how his beloved FBI's objectivity is perceived. Comey wasn't showing courage; he hid behind a press team.
Comey kept quiet. He didn't tell the American people in 2016, didn't brief Congress, and never explained that the Bureau's failure to review the relevant materials was a choice made by omission. He instead delivered a carefully worded monologue that essentially said, "Yes, she did this, but we're not prosecuting. Trust me on this."
During the next several years, the country debated the extent to which politics influenced that decision. We didn't know whether it was correct or if it had changed the outcome of the 2016 election. However, we know this much for sure: He damn sure didn't follow the law. Instead, he acted on unseen information, filtered through sources that were hidden behind the veil of classification.
Under no republic should that ever be acceptable.
What the Appendix Confirms
Let’s lay it out as plainly as possible. The declassified appendix shows:
- Comey was influenced by classified intelligence, which was never made public at the time.
- That intelligence contributed to his decision to close the Clinton case without prosecution.
- Thumb drives containing potentially relevant emails were received but never examined.
- The FBI’s own internal procedures and investigative standards were sidestepped.
No fever dreams or speculation. Just facts that damn Comey more than any partisan conspiracy theory ever could.
The Oath That Matters
Let's review a basic tenet: Comey took an oath to uphold the Constitution and enforce the law.
That oath wasn’t conditional or contingent on polling data, media narratives, or intelligence reports that couldn’t be verified or shared. Comey's oath required him to pursue justice equally, impartially, and with complete fidelity to due process.
Instead, he weaponized ambiguity while standing before the country and offering a conclusion without allowing transparency. And he withheld the real reasoning until now. He didn't see the light of day and suddenly catch a case of integrity. Instead, he was busted by data buried inside an appendix that took nearly seven years to see the light of day.
When the rule of law is bent to serve appearances, it ceases to be law at all; it's theatre. And Comey played his leading actor's role beautifully. He gave just enough information to the MSM to filter facts so the public believed the process was fair, while keeping the real story out of reach.
Now we're reaping the results. Our nation is further divided, and an agency that has lost the country's confidence. To our knowledge, this is unprecedented: classified intelligence was used to override basic law enforcement procedures without being subject to scrutiny.
No More Excuses
By this time, we've nearly every excuse, Comey.
- Was under pressure
- Didn't want to influence an election
- Was trying to protect the reputation of the FBI.
What he forgets is that leadership isn't about protecting image; it's protecting integrity. Leadership stands firm when others fold. And it's about resisting the temptation to shape outcomes based on fear of political blowback.
Comey's actions weren't the result of careful judgment; they were an abdication, where white-collar sleight of hand was dressed up in bureaucratic language and sold to the American people as professionalism.
Now that the public sees that appendix, there is no longer a need to pretend or rationalize. What happened in the Clinton email case wasn't justice; it was a calculated optics play.
I find it comical that the man who wanted to be remembered as the FBI's white knight delivered, not for us, but he broke his oath for something else.
Final Thoughts
The Hillary Clinton email incident isn't a conspiracy; it wasn't about emails or thumb drives. It boils down to the world's most powerful law enforcement agency doing its job, regardless of politics or optics.
Comey's FBI didn't.
His and the bureau's failure wasn't nearly the beginning of our suspicions of a politicized FBI, but one that can be held accountable. The dirt laid down nine years ago by a corrupt cop, fouled with the wastewater of arrogance, created a muddy layer that Kash Patel is working to clean.
Sunlight has always been the best disinfectant. America's class of new media, including us here at PJ Media, will continue doing the job that legacy media has continually failed to do.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
"Who watches the watchers?" or more literally, "Who will guard the guards themselves?"
If they're incapable of integrity, then God give us the patience and strength to throw the damn bums out.
