WASHINGTON _ The Justice Department on Wednesday formally closed its investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, following the rare public recommendation of FBI Director James B. Comey, who said a day earlier that the former secretary of state's actions, though sloppy, did not warrant criminal charges.
The decision was announced in a statement by Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who said she had met late Wednesday with Comey and career prosecutors and agents who conducted the investigation.
"I received and accepted their unanimous recommendation that the thorough, yearlong investigation be closed and that no charges be brought against any individuals within the scope of the investigation," Lynch said.
The outcome was expected since Lynch had previously declared her intention to remove herself from the final decision. Legal experts have long predicted that the Justice Department was not likely to file charges as it investigated whether Clinton and her aides mishandled classified material while communicating on a private email server outside of normal government channels.
But both Comey and Lynch now find themselves enmeshed in a political controversy over the matter. Republicans have spent two days bashing the FBI director for not recommending that Clinton face criminal charges despite telling reporters that the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate and her aides were "extremely careless" in how they used the private email system during her time as the nation's top diplomat.
Lynch has been criticized for meeting privately with Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, on her government jet last week at Phoenix's international airport. The attorney general has said she only discussed personal matters and the investigation of his wife did not come up. Even so, it forced her to announce she would accept the recommendations of Comey and career prosecutors and agents who worked the case.
Comey is expected to testify Thursday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Lynch is scheduled to appear next week before another House committee. Both are expected to face sharp questions from Republicans about their decision.
