Clinton To Comey: 'Put It All On The Table'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Law enforcement sources say investigators have not yet secured a search warrant to begin examining the emails found on a laptop shared by disgraced New York Congressman Anthony Weiner and long-time Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, which may be pertinent to the FBI's investigation into Clinton's private email server, CBS News reported Saturday afternoon.
A red flag was raised after FBI investigators discovered Abedin's work-related emails on the laptop, a person familiar with the matter told CBS News.
The FBI is working to review the emails and determine if they contain any new information that could be relevant to its investigation. It's possible some of the emails are duplicates that have already been reviewed, the source said.
While campaigning Saturday, Clinton again called on FBI Director James Comey to provide a more thorough explanation of the newly discovered emails.
"Voters deserve to get full and complete facts. So we've called on director Comey to explain everything right away, put it all on the table," she said.
Comey, who in July announced Clinton would not face criminal charges for using a private email service while she was Secretary of State, wrote a letter to lawmakers Friday, saying "in connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation," and "to determine whether they contain classified information."
Comey later issued an email to staffers defending his decision to notify Congress.
"This morning I sent a letter to Congress in connection with the Secretary Clinton email investigation. Yesterday, the investigative team briefed me on their recommendation with respect to seeking access to emails that have recently been found in an unrelated case," Comey wrote. "Because those emails appear to be pertinent to our investigation, I agreed that we should take appropriate steps to obtain and review them. "
Comey wrote that he believed it was appropriate to notify Congress.
"Of course, we don't ordinarily tell Congress about ongoing investigations, but here I feel an obligation to do so given that I testified repeatedly in recent months that our investigation was completed. I also think it would be misleading to the American people were we not to supplement the record. At the same time, however, given that we don't know the significance of this newly discovered collection of emails, I don't want to create a misleading impression," he wrote. "In trying to strike that balance, in a brief letter and in the middle of an election season, there is significant risk of being misunderstood, but I wanted you to hear directly from me about it."
Sources close to the Clinton investigation said the Attorney General Loretta Lynch encouraged Comey to follow a long-standing practice not to comment regarding on-going investigations. The AG and the FBI director did not have a one-on-one conversation, but CBS2 learned that the AG's position was made clear to Comey, who made his final decision to send the letter on his own.
A new Washington Post/ABC News poll taken before the revelations showed Donald Trump gaining ground on Clinton, trailing just two points behind the Democrat at 47 to 45 percent.
Trump spent Saturday slamming Clinton and Abedin.
"Haven't we had enough drama with the Clintons?" he asked a crowd of supporters. "And now, look at the mess she's in with these emails, and this will last for years and years. Think that's going away? That will be there for years she will be fighting it."
Sources told CBS2 the laptop taken from Weiner may have thousands of emails on it, and the FBI's review could go on well past election day.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
