U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch on Wednesday announced she had accepted the recommendation of the FBI not to indict former Secretary of State and current Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in her private email investigation.
“Late this afternoon, I met with FBI Director James Comey and career prosecutors and agents who conducted the investigation of Secretary Hillary Clinton’s use of a personal email system during her time as Secretary of State,” Lynch said a statement.
“I received and accepted their unanimous recommendation that the thorough, year-long investigation be closed and that no charges be brought against any individuals within the scope of the investigation,” she added.
Comey made the announcement that Clinton would not be indicted on Tuesday, saying, “Although there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case. Prosecutors necessarily weigh a number of factors before deciding whether to bring charges."
Clinton has said she used private emails out of "convenience", though she has also admitted it "would have been better" to have two accounts to separate work and personal emails.
Meanwhile, it was announced on Wednesday that Comey will appear before Congress on Thursday to answer questions regarding his recommendation not to indict Clinton.
The decision came following criticism by Republican lawmakers, who said Comey’s acknowledgment that evidence appeared to indicate that Clinton had violated federal statues seemed to contradict his recommendation.