FBI's Own Private Email Scandal Emerged During Clinton Probe, Declassified Memos Show
The documents, uncovered by FBI Director Kash Patel and released to Congress by Attorney General Pam Bondi, detail a criminal probe codenamed "TROPIC VORTEX."
Declassified memos reveal that months after clearing Hillary Clinton for using a private server to handle classified information, then-FBI Director James Comey's inner circle employed personal emails to facilitate unauthorized leaks to the media.
The documents, uncovered by FBI Director Kash Patel and released to Congress by Attorney General Pam Bondi, detail a criminal probe codenamed "TROPIC VORTEX." Investigators found Comey's chief of staff, James Rybicki, forwarded a proposed media statement—originating from Comey—to his private email in March 2017, assessed as advancing a potential unauthorized disclosure. Prosecutors preserved the records but declined further action, citing the unclassified nature of the statement, and shut down the probe in 2019.
This incident followed a March 2017 tweet by then-President Trump accusing Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower, prompting a New York Times article claiming Comey urged DOJ to refute it. Agents could not pinpoint the source but linked Rybicki's actions to Comey's implicit direction. Comey denied authorizing leaks in congressional testimony, insisting he never sourced stories on Trump-Russia or Clinton probes.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley stated these revelations affirm President Trump's 2017 firing of Comey, highlighting a "rules for thee but not for me" attitude unfit for the nation's top law enforcement agency.
The memos build on prior findings: Agents gathered evidence from Rybicki and former FBI General Counsel James Baker that Comey authorized classified leaks to the Times in October 2016, before the election. No charges resulted, part of a pattern where FBI probes into leaks fueling false Trump-Russia narratives yielded no accountability.
In July 2016, Comey announced no charges against Clinton despite evidence of mishandling classified info via her private server. A declassified DOJ watchdog appendix shows Comey was influenced by classified intelligence alleging Obama administration efforts to protect Clinton's candidacy. The FBI also failed to investigate thumb drives potentially holding key server data. Inspector General Michael Horowitz deemed Comey's actions "extraordinary and insubordinate."
Broader declassifications expose politicized FBI conduct, including abandoned probes into Clinton Foundation fraud, Adam Schiff's alleged leaks, and Hunter Biden's dealings during President Trump's first term. Current leadership under Patel and Bondi continues unveiling these lapses, ensuring transparency and equal justice.
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