James Comey Went Public On Clinton Emails With Intel He Knew Was Fake: CNN

WASHINGTON, DC — Former FBI Director James Comey made the controversial decision to go public with his findings in the Hillary Clinton email probe in July 2016 because of intelligence he knew was fake at the time, according to a report from CNN that relied on anonymous sources.

The intelligence in question refers to documents that purported to show that then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch told Clinton that the Justice Department would make sure the email investigation did not go too deep. Recent reports suggest that this was fake intelligence potentially planted by Russian agents; no other evidence corroborates this dubious claim. According to CNN, Comey knew this was not good intelligence but decided to make public his findings about the email probe in an attempt to protect the bureau's reputation for independence should the fake intelligence ever leak.

During his press conference on the matter, Comey said "no reasonable prosecutor" would bring a case against Clinton even though her actions were "extremely careless." CNN reported that Comey told members of Congress in classified briefings about the suspicious intelligence without telling them he thought it was fake.

Read the full report at CNN.

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