FBI says 'careless' Clinton shouldn't face email charges despite sharing top secret information

To the amazement of some, and the disappointment of others, the FBI today recommended that no charges be brought against Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server. The presidential hopeful was roundly criticized, however, with James Comey describing her actions as "extremely careless".

The FBI director's remarks came after Clinton took part in a voluntary interview over the weekend, and after the bureau's investigation found that her private email account had indeed been used to send classified and even secret information -- officially a misdemeanour. The FBI's line is that "no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case".

With Attorney General Loretta Lynch having said that she would be willing to accept the findings and recommendations of the FBI, Clinton will no doubt be breathing a sigh of relief -- but the email debacle has undoubtedly been harmful to her image. With concerns about national security at just about their highest level ever, the revelation that the politician broke the rules by sharing confidential information via a private email address is not only damaging for her, but ammunition for her opponents.

Donald Trump was, predictably, outraged and said so on Twitter:

FBI director said Crooked Hillary compromised our national security. No charges. Wow! #RiggedSystem

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 5, 2016

Comey revealed that some 30,000 emails had been read as part of the investigation -- discounting, of course, those that had been deleted before they could be handed over for inspection. Of these emails, 110 of them in 52 threads were found to contain classified information. Although eight of these were the lowest level of classification, 36 included secret information, and a further eight included top secret information. This flies in the face of previous denials by Clinton that classified data had travelled via her personal server.

There had also been fears that Clinton's emails could have been hacked, opening up the risk of confidential information falling into the wrong hands. Comey said of this "it is possible that hostile actors gained access" but admitted that no hard proof could be found. His conclusion was that:

Although we did not find clear evidence that the secretary or colleagues intended to violate laws, there is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of highly classified information.

The end of the investigation should, in theory, draw a line under the whole affair, but it's something that is not likely to be forgotten overnight. A spokesman for Clinton said:

We are pleased that the career officials handling this case have determined that no further action by the Department is appropriate. 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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