Politics & Government

Senate Judiciary Committee Probes Loretta Lynch's Connection To Clinton Email Case

A letter from the committee asks questions raised after former FBI Director James Comey's testimony.

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WASHINGTON, DC — The Senate Judiciary Committee is questioning former Attorney General Loretta Lynch in connection with her handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation, bringing the failed presidential candidate's major controversy back into the public light.

Lynch came under heavy scrutiny during the 2016 campaign after she met briefly with President Bill Clinton as the FBI was investigating his wife's email scandal, which eventually spurred then-FBI Director James Comey to go public with his conclusion in the probe. According to his Senate testimony, he was trying to maintain public confidence in the independence of the bureau.

As the committee's letter notes, Comey implied in his testimony that there were additional reasons he felt a need to distance the FBI's handling of the case from Lynch. He says he cannot yet reveal this information publicly. (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

The letter also notes two press stories that suggested the FBI was in possession of potentially troubling evidence suggesting Lynch had worked to make sure the Justice Department went easy on Clinton. These stories both linked the evidence to Russian intelligence, which may have fabricated the reports.

The letter poses a series of questions to Lynch. In particular, was she aware of any of these memos? Does she believe any of them might have been forged? And did she have conversations, potentially with then-Chair of the Democratic National Committee Debbie Wasserman-Schultz about the email investigation?

Review a copy of the letter below, first reported by Kelly Cohen of DC Examiner:

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

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