FBI Hillary Clinton Email Investigation Reopens, as New Evidence Surfaces Related to Anthony Weiner
Posted on: October 28, 2016, 12:05h.
Last updated on: October 28, 2016, 01:12h.
The FBI Hillary Clinton private email server investigation, in a shocking and late-breaking deus ex machina?for the most dramatic election process in modern history, has been reopened. The case has come back to life in relation to a separate criminal case being handled against her campaign aide-de-camp Huma Abedin’s now-estranged husband Anthony Weiner.
Weiner is under investigation by the FBI over alleged under-age sexting in relation to a 15-year-old girl, and the Bureau had seized several devices belonging to both him and his wife Abedin in that regard. Bureau Chief James Comey announced on Friday that the related emails “appear to be pertinent to the [now reopened] investigation.”
Not All Over, Still Plenty of Shouting
It’s a startling development for the Democratic candidate, as voters head to the polls in just 11 days to select the 45th president of the United States. Clinton had basically been declared the victor over trailing GOP candidate Donald Trump, as the billionaire continues to struggle in key battleground states and his path to 270 electoral votes seem nearly impossible.
Paddy Power has already begun paying out on Clinton bets, and overseas bookmakers like William Hill have listed Trump (7/2, -350) as a heavy underdog. But now that Clinton will be once again forced to go on the defensive and answer questions about her email server, and if she lied under oath to Congress, odds are becoming more favorable to the controversial GOP candidate.
Bovada, the offshore sports book, had recently posted Clinton at -500 to win, and Trump at +350. Those odds have slightly improved over the last week in Trump’s favor, as WikiLeaks continues to reveal the inner workings of the Clinton campaign.
Bovada’s most recent offering was Clinton -450, Trump +275. But following the FBI’s announcement, odds were temporarily halted at Bovada.
Now back online, Bovada has Clinton at -300 and Trump at +200.
“Hillary Clinton’s corruption is on a scale we have never seen before,” Trump said at a rally following the FBI announcement. “I have great respect for the fact that the FBI and the Department of Justice are now willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake that they made.”
Comey to the Rescue
Aside from Trump’s most loyal supporters, there seemed to be few persons who believed a GOP victory was coming on November 8 a few weeks ago. Though Clinton’s campaign has been surrounded in scandal, FBI Director James Comey’s recommendation to the DOJ in July that no charges be brought allowed the former secretary of state to brush off ongoing attacks from her opponents.
Today, however, Comey revisited his position. And in doing so, he gives the GOP a fighting chance of winning the White House.
In a letter to Congress, the FBI boss said, “In connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear pertinent to the investigation. I am writing to inform you that the investigative team briefed me on this yesterday, and I agreed that the FBI should take appropriate investigative steps designed to allow investigators to review these emails to determine whether they contain classified information, as well as to assess their importance to our investigation.”
The FBI’s renewed probe will take another look at whether anyone associated with Clinton exchanged classified information on her unapproved personal server. Clinton has stated under oath that she did not; Comey disputed those claims last summer, but said there was no proof she deliberately deceived Congress.
Money Knows Best
Trump supporters have been deflecting the validity of polls of late, as the numbers haven’t been in their candidate’s favor. Real Clear Politics has Clinton ahead in the battlegrounds of Minnesota, Colorado, Virginia, Georgia, New Hampshire, Maine, Arizona, and Nevada.
Oddsmakers and prediction market analysts say studying where people are putting their money is the best forecaster.
At PredictIt.org, shares of Clinton are plummeting on the FBI news. Her stock is down seven cents, but she remains the favorite. Trump is trading at just 26 cents compared to Clinton at 74 cents.
Editor’s Note: This is a developing story.
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