Multiple news outlets have confirmed the news that the FBI are to reopen and investigation into Hillary Clinton over her email usage.
The internal investigation examines the possible mishandling of classified information by Hillary Clinton and top aides, officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The controversy began in March 2015 when it became known that during her time as United States Secretary of State, Clinton had used her family’s private email server for official communications.
Those communications include thousands of classified emails.
Previous hearings have been held by the United States House Select Committee on Benghazi. Some experts, officials, and members of Congress have contended that her use of private messaging system software and a private server violated State Department protocols and procedures, as well as federal laws and regulations governing recordkeeping.
In response, Clinton has said that her use of personal email was in compliance with federal laws and State Department regulations and that former secretaries of state had also maintained personal email accounts, though not their own private email servers.
According to CNN, the decision to reopen the investigation has come following “recent developments.”
FBI Director James Comey confirmed the news in a message to the Department of Justice.
“In connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear pertinent to the investigation,” Comey wrote. “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.”
