Anger, Relief After FBI Director Recommends No Charges Against Hillary Clinton
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DALLAS (CBS11) - Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is in the clear after FBI Director James Comey recommended that no criminal charges be filed against her.
She had been under investigation for her use of personal email servers while serving as President Barack Obama's Secretary of State.
Comey said during a news conference Tuesday morning while there is no evidence Mrs. Clinton intended to break the law, "There is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information."
Comey said investigators found there were 110 emails in 52 email chains that were classified when they were sent.
Eight of those email chains had what's considered top secret information.
Thirty-six email chains had secret information, and eight email chains had confidential information.
The FBI Director said some of Clinton's emails could have been accessed by hostile actors.
Tom Giboney of Dallas had a top secret security clearance as a planner in the U.S. Army. He took part in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and also went to Iraq.
Giboney says he's outraged by the FBI's decision.
"Horribly angry," said Giboney. "It's unbelievable to have the FBI Director say what they found and then say they weren't going to do anything."
He says if he mishandled classified, secret, and top-secret information, he would have been locked up.
"Even if you made a mistake, it would be a career terminator, if not a criminal action. I think everyone understood that," said Giboney. "One top secret message would have ended my career, probably criminal action. Eight, I'd be in Fort Leavenworth prison."
Now that the former Secretary of State won't face criminal charges, SMU political science professor Cal Jillson says she can focus on issues and no longer worry about something that could derail her campaign.
"The great Damocles sword hanging over the Clinton campaign was the possibility of an FBI recommendation to indict. That would have been extraordinarily destructive," said Jillson. "They're celebrating in the campaign today."
Jillson says the FBI Director's announcement will give Mrs. Clinton a boost among doubters in her own party.
"More Democrats who've had reservations about Hillary Clinton may take this as a vindication and come back to the party's nominee," said Jillson.
Republicans though say the FBI director's statements prove Clinton repeatedly lied to the public about her private email server.
Wade Emmert, a Dallas attorney and former Dallas County Republican Party Chair said, "I think it calls into question her judgment. When she ran in 2008 against Barack Obama, her call to action was who do you want to call at 3am? Well, not her either because apparently other people could be listening in."
The presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump criticized the FBI Director's decision Tuesday.
"It was no accident that charges were not recommended against Hillary the exact same day as President Obama campaigns with her for the first time. Folks - the system is rigged. The normal punishment, in this case, would include losing authority to handle classified information, and that too disqualifies Hillary Clinton from being President," said Trump.
Supporters of Hillary Clinton, who campaigned with President Obama Tuesday afternoon, say they're ready for the attack ads.
Terry Jones, a Hillary Clinton supporter and delegate to the national convention said, "One of the great things about this campaign is that Donald Trump is her opponent. So he can try to hit her with this, but he's given us so much material that whatever he tries, we throw right back at him."
Jones says he was relieved when he heard the FBI Director's news conference.
In a statement, Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said, "As the Secretary has long said, it was a mistake to use her personal email and she would not do it again. We are glad that this matter is now resolved."
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