Whistleblower Complaints Reveal Issues in Clinton Foundation Investigation
WASHINGTON – A four-year inquiry by the Justice Department into the Clinton Foundation faced significant challenges, including what appears to be “conflicts of interest” and obstruction from high-ranking FBI officials, according to a whistleblower complaint and documents made public by Sen. Chuck Grassley.
Records, including whistleblower statements and internal communications, indicate that then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, along with others, hindered efforts to investigate the charitable activities of Hillary and Bill Clinton, as Grassley pointed out. A letter was sent to Attorney General Pam Bondi detailing these findings.
Notably, just two months before the investigation was launched in January 2016, McCabe’s wife, Dr. Jill McCabe, received over $675,000 in “monetary and in-kind contributions” from a political action committee associated with then-Virginia Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe, a board member of the Clinton Foundation and a key fundraiser for the state’s Democratic Party.
In November 2016, McCabe stepped back from the investigation as officials informed the agency’s Criminal Investigation Division that, due to the sensitivities surrounding the Clinton Foundation, they were “prohibited from subpoenaing additional records” related to the foundation. Grassley mentioned that inquiries about the Clintons or their foundation were similarly limited.
Additional emails reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee revealed an effort within the FBI to avoid giving the impression of an investigation into the Clinton Foundation or the Clintons, a directive reportedly coming from higher-ups, specifically the deputy director’s office.
Furthermore, documents from late 2016 show that the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office sought access to a search warrant for former Rep. Anthony Weiner’s laptop as part of a separate investigation into how Hillary Clinton handled classified information during her tenure as Secretary of State.
However, prosecutors in New York were ultimately blocked from examining the laptop, with initial requests for information about its contents being denied.
Only a D.C.-based investigative team was allowed access to the files, a decision made by McCabe and then-Chief of Staff for the FBI’s national security division, Michael Steinbach.
Additional evidence suggests that when prosecutors from the Eastern District of Arkansas sought information to revive the Clinton Foundation inquiry, they were given incomplete records, omitting references to interference from the Department of Justice and FBI leadership.
Jonathan Ross, who later became U.S. Attorney for that Arkansas district, expressed concerns in a 2018 email, indicating that the investigation undermined the trust typically expected in seeking cooperation. The Arkansas office later sought an inquiry by the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General in July 2019, highlighting the need to address “interference from then-current DOJ and FBI leadership.”
Grassley’s documents also indicate that then-Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz did not have access to the same files showing supposed conflicts of interest during his examination of the Clinton investigation in 2018.
“While mainstream media derided investigations into Hillary Clinton as groundless, the reality is that agents and prosecutors chasing legitimate leads were sidelined by partisan leaders intent on safeguarding Clinton’s reputation,” Grassley stated. He contrasted this with how the Biden Justice Department handled the investigation into President Trump.
Grassley emphasized that the Department of Justice must avoid choosing “winners and losers” and should enforce the law impartially. He thanked Attorney General Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel for providing records that helped clarify the shortcomings of the investigation into the Clintons.
The Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman has requested more documents related to the search warrant for Weiner’s laptop, the Clinton Foundation investigation, and internal emails by December 29.
Representatives for the Clinton Foundation did not respond to inquiries for comment. McCabe declined to provide a statement when approached.
