Clinton not to be charged

The Herald reports:

FBI Director James Comey said that his agency will not recommend criminal charges against Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server as secretary of state, but called Clinton and her staff “extremely careless” in handling sensitive material.

Comey said the FBI investigations into more than 30,000 emails – and others pieced together from data “fragments” – determined that “no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case.” The findings now go to the Justice Department.

The announcement – which came only about 72 hours after FBI agents interviewed Clinton – in some ways lifts the cloud that has been hanging over Clinton’s presidential campaign for months.

But it will almost certainly spark criticism that the outcome of the high-profile probe was a foregone conclusion, influenced heavily by political considerations.

Comey said Justice Department prosecutors also must make a final determination, though he was unequivocal in stating his view.

“We are expressing our view to Justice that no charges are appropriate in this case,” he said.

But Comey note clear shortcomings in security protocols for the emails, which include 50 in “classified” categories with eight “top secret.”

“Although we did not find clear evidence that Secretary Clinton or her colleagues intended to violate laws governing the handling of classified information, there is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information,” Comey said.