On Sunday the FBI's reopened investigation into Hillary Clinton's controversial private server took another step when it obtained a warrant to read thousands of newly discovered emails.

Those emails, apparently sent to and from Clinton's right-hand woman, Huma Abedin, have reignited questions about whether classified documents may have been put at risk of leaks by the use of a private server.

They were part of 650,000 missives found on a laptop belonging to Abedin's husband, perverted politician Anthony Weiner.

As the specter of Clinton's server rises to haunt her campaign once more, questions have emerged about what this could mean for the future of the Democratic candidate - and for America itself.

Renewed scrutiny: On Friday the FBI reopened its investigation into Hillary Clinton's private server after new emails emerged. On Sunday a warrant was issued to read those emails

Discovery: Agents investigating Anthony Weiner (left) on a separate charge found emails on his laptop apparently sent by his wife and Clinton aide Huma Abedin (right) to Clinton's server

How many emails have been found?

It was reported that around 50,000 emails found on the laptop were of possible interest to the FBI, but that number has now expanded dramatically to 650,000.

At the moment agents have only analyzed metadata - which only shows who sent and received emails, and when, but not the actual content.

Searches in that metadata brought back results for 'state.gov' - the domain name for the State Department's emails and website - and 'HRC emails'.

The metadata suggests the emails were sent from at least one account owned by Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton's long-time aide and the vice-chairwoman.

They included emails to Clinton's controversial private server, and back again. That server is the one that was under investigation by the FBI earlier this year

Abedin previously testified she used three accounts while working for Clinton: one State Department email, one private Yahoo email and one on Clinton's private server.

The FBI hopes that at least some of the emails will have previously unread content relevant to that probe, which was opened to determine if Clinton had used her private server for official business, including documents later declared classified.

Close: Abedin (pictured on Clinton's plane, Friday) has worked with Clinton since 1996. The FBI believes the emails may include some that were deleted from Clinton's private server

What is in these new emails?

Investigators don't know yet because they only received the warrant they needed to read through them on Sunday evening.

However, they believe that the emails will include messages that were deleted from Clinton's private server before the FBI took it from her home in their probe last year.

Initial investigations by federal agents suggested that thousands of emails were sent to and from Clinton's private server.

However, as Abedin had an address on that server, it has been suggested by some that she sent emails to her own accounts so she could print them off more easily.

In 2009, she sent one email exchange with Clinton to her personal Yahoo account to be printed, according to an email leaked by Justice Watch in September.

She has previously testified having trouble printing directly from the State Department email address.

Delay: The FBI could not read Abedin's emails until now because they were found in a separate investigation into Weiner, and the warrant for that case did not cover his wife's data

It's also possible that if emails related to the server are found, they will be duplicates of emails already read by FBI agents - but it is unlikely that this will be true of all the emails, law enforcement officials told Fox.

While testifying under oath during a civil case related to the private server brought against the State Department by Judicial Watch Abedin said she did not delete old state.gov emails from her accounts.

'The e-mails on my State Department system existed on my computer, and I didn't have a practice of managing my mailbox other than leaving what was in there sitting in there,' she said.

'So for my BlackBerry, if I exceeded the limit, I think it auto deleted. But, no, I didn't ... go into my e-mails and delete State.gov e-mails. They just lived on my computer.'

This suggests that the emails found on the laptop could be comprehensive, if Abedin used it to message Clinton with any regularity.

Why have investigators only just started reading the emails?

Sexting: Agents were investigating Weiner for allegedly sending sexts and photos of himself, like this one, to a 15-year-old girl when they found emails on his laptop

They have been held up because they didn't have the warrant necessary to do so.

The emails in question were found on a laptop owned by Abedin's estranged husband, Anthony Weiner, who is the subject of an unrelated investigation that accuses him of sending indecent and explicit text messages to a 15-year-old girl.

Agents were searching for child pornography when they came across the data, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal.

Because the Weiner investigation was not connected to the Clinton server one, the warrant the agents were using did not allow them to read Abedin's emails.

Likewise, the warrant previously obtained in the previous Clinton probe did not include Weiner's laptop, as it was not offered up by Abedin when she was asked to turn over computers she sent emails from.

When were the emails first found?

In early October.

Dailymail.com revealed Weiner's sexts to a 15-year-old girl on September 21, and his laptop was taken for investigation soon after.

Weeks later, investigators in New York notified the FBI's deputy director, Andrew McCabe, that they had stumbled upon hundreds of thousands of emails that had been sent between Clinton's private server and the laptop.

Why did it take so long for them to be announced and investigated?

It would appear to be the result of missteps and oversights by the FBI.

After being notified in early October, senior FBI officials told investigators to take a closer look at the Clinton server data and report back, The Wall Street Journal said.

Reopened: FBI director James Comey said Friday that the Clinton probe was reopened - despite a policy forbidding openly discussing operations that could affect elections

But it appears the matter was forgotten until early last week.

That's when a senior member of Justice Department's national security staff, in a meeting with FBI heads, inquired about the emails.

At that point the FBI realized nobody had bothered to obtain a warrant.

McCabe then told the Clinton email investigators to speak to the Weiner team to see whether the laptop was relevant.

They agreed that it was, and FBI director James Comey gave the go-ahead to obtain the warrant and reopen the Clinton server investigation.

He also announced the reopening of the probe to Congress, causing a shockwave - and, according to The Wall Street Journal – infuriating Justice Department heads who said he broke a policy forbidding overt actions that can affect an election.

How long will it take for the investigators to read the emails?

In a letter to senior lawmakers, FBI director James Comey said that he did not know 'how long it will take us to complete this additional work.'

Given the sheer volume of emails, though, it is estimated that it will take weeks - long enough to go beyond the election.

That means even if Clinton takes the presidency, the investigation will still hang over her.

Comey was slammed by colleagues for making Friday's announcement, as policy says that investigations that may affect an election should not be made public.

In a memo to staff, however, he said he had chosen to disclose the decision so as not to 'mislead the American people' as he had 'testified repeatedly in recent months that our investigation was completed.'

'I also think it would be misleading to the American people were we not to supplement the record. At the same time, however given that we don't know the significance of this newly discovered collection of emails, I don't want to create a misleading impression.

'In trying to strike that balance, in a brief letter and in the middle of an election season, there is significant risk of being misunderstood,' he said, 'but I wanted you to hear directly from me about it.'

This is the internal memo obtained by Fox News that Comey sent out. He noted he felt an 'obligation' to inform lawmakers about the investigation given he had testified repeatedly in recent months that the investigation was completed

What will happen if Clinton is elected but the FBI finds a 'smoking gun' in the emails afterwards?

If the emails turn up evidence incriminating Clinton then she can face impeachment.

The emails will be examined for proof that she allowed confidential information to be seen by people without proper clearance - the allegation she faced in the original server probe.

If that turns out to be the case, she will not only be the second President Clinton, but also the second to face impeachment.

Her husband Bill was accused of perjury and obstruction of justice in 1998 regarding his testimony about his affair with Monica Lewinsky. He was found not guilty.

What are Abedin's lawyers saying about the case?

Troubled: Abedin could face jail for saying on oath she'd handed over all data, and for disclosing classified info. However, FBI has not shown interest in prosecuting her

CNN initially reported that her lawyers had spoken to the Justice Department, but this was later revealed to be incorrect.

It has been suggested by the channel that because Abedin's emails were sent using her husband's computer, her lawyers will argue they fall under spousal privilege laws.

These stop police from reading private correspondence between a married couple, and could limit how many of the emails the FBI can read.

However, that law only applies to emails sent privately between the couple, so may not affect other emails.

Also, it cannot be used if the couple enters divorce proceedings.

Abedin and Weiner officially announced their separation in August, after he was embroiled in another sex scandal, but they are still married. Neither has publicly indicated interest in a divorce.

What has Abedin said about these emails?

She has reportedly pleaded ignorance about how the emails may have ended up on her husband's laptop, and said she did not regularly use the machine

On June 28, during a civil lawsuit filed against the State Department by Judicial Watch, Abedin said that she had handed over to her lawyers all of the passwords and devices that she believed had been used for communications while Clinton was Secretary of State.

Weiner's laptop was not among those devices.

She said she relied on her lawyers to pass on to the FBI what was considered relevant to the investigation.

Abedin also told federal investigators in April that she used several email accounts for her work, including a Yahoo email, according to a summary of the interview released by the FBI in September.

She said it was difficult to print from the State Department's email system so she routinely forwarded documents to her private accounts when she needed to print them out, according to the summary.

Does Abedin face jail time?

THE CLINTON EMAIL CONTROVERSY January 13 2009: Hillary Clinton's aide Justin Cooper sets up clintonemail.com domain. Huma Abedin signs off on it January 21: Clinton is sworn in as Secretary of State 18 March: Clinton stops using her BlackBerry email account and switches to the newly created hdr22@clintonemail.com account. The domain is hosted on her own private email server, set up by her aide Bryan Pagliano September 11, 2012: Four Americans are killed in attack on a U.S. base in Benghazi, Libya including Ambassador Chris Stevens February 1, 2013: Clinton steps down as secretary of state October 28, 2014: State Department demands Clinton's work-related correspondence as part of a congressional investigation into Benghazi Fall 2014: Clinton's lawyers deletes 33,000 emails which they claim are 'personal' December 5, 2014: Clinton's legal team provide roughly 30,000 emails to the State Department when they are demanded by a congressional investigation into Benghazi. March 2 2015: The New York Times breaks the news that Clinton used a personal email account to conduct government business while secretary of state July 25: Clinton says she is confident none of the emails on her private email server were classified at the time of sending and receiving August 4: The Washington Post reveals the FBI has begun looking into the security of Clinton's private email set-up September 10: Bryan Pagliano formally asserts his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination rather than answer questions from a Republican-led House committee on her email arrangements July 6, 2016: The Justice Department closes Clinton email probe and FBI Director James Comey announces the FBI won't prosecute. The decision was made by Comey because Attorney General Loretta Lynch had to recuse herself after a secret meeting with Bill Clinton October 7: WikiLeaks begins release of thousands of emails hacked from the Gmail account of John Podesta, Clinton's campaign chair October 28: FBI reopens its investigation into Clinton's server after previously unseen emails are found on Anthony Weiner's laptop during an unrelated investigation October 30: FBI obtains warrant to read emails, which appear to be sent to and from the Clinton private server by Clinton's right-hand woman and Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin Advertisement

Potentially, yes - although she has not yet been accused of, or charged with any crime.

Abedin's June comments about handing over the communications devices were made under oath to Judicial Watch attorney Ramona Cotca.

'How did you go about searching for what records you may have in your possession to be returned to the State Department?' Cotca asked her.

'I looked for all the devices that may have any of my State Department work on it and returned - returned - gave them to my attorneys for them to review for all relevant documents. And gave them devices and paper,' she replied.

When asked what she handed over, she said: 'If memory serves me correctly, it was two laptops, a BlackBerry, and some files that I found in my apartment.'

If Abedin is found to have lied during that testimony, she could face up to five years in prison.

The fact that the laptop was owned by Weiner opens up another possible criminal charge, as it could mean he had access to classified information.

Disclosing classified information to someone without the proper clearance - the charge that Clinton was cleared of in June but could now face again - can lead to a maximum jail sentence of ten years.

However, the FBI has not shown any interest in prosecuting Abedin, and at this point the investigation only proves that the new potential evidence has renewed the Feds' interest in a case previously thought closed.

How has this affected Abedin's role in Clinton's campaign?

It appears to have strained one of Clinton's closest relationships.

Abedin has worked alongside Clinton for the last 20 years, when she worked as an intern and aide to the then-First Lady in 1996, and has been described as a surrogate daughter by the Democratic candidate.

She is the vice-chairwoman of Clinton's election campaign, and has been seen by her boss's side throughout, though with a notable dip in profile during her husband's multiple sex scandals.

The glamorous advisor has also been prominent at several money-raising events for Clinton's campaign, including one she co-organized with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.

However, since the FBI announced the reopening of the server probe on Friday, Clinton has reportedly been advised to keep her distance from her right-hand woman.

Several of Clinton's friends and allies have advised her to drop Abedin, The New York Times reported Friday - and senior Democrats have said she should not be allowed to stay on staff if Clinton takes the White house.

On Saturday Clinton campaign chair John Podesta said the team 'stands by' Abedin.

But on that day and Sunday, Clinton left the advisor behind in New York while tackling a string of rallies, including some in swing state Florida.

Whether this is just a dip in their relationship, or the end of the road for Clinton's most trusted advisor remains to be seen.

Pushed out: Clinton's close friends have reportedly told her to push out Abedin (seen in file photo), who, unusually, did not accompany the candidate on rally trips Saturday and Sunday

What has the Clinton camp's response to this flood of emails been?

Clinton's team have insisted that the FBI reveal immediately what they have found.

In a surprise press conference on Friday, Clinton said: 'We've heard these rumors. We don't know what to believe and I'm sure there will be even more rumors.

'That's why it is incumbent upon the FBI to tell us what they're talking about.'

However, the FBI has a long way to go before it can announce the contents of the hundreds of thousands of emails - not helped by the delay caused in getting the warrant.

And on Sunday Clinton - minus Abedin, who remained at the Clinton campaign HQ in New York - told a Wilton Manors, Florida, obliquely referenced her troubles when she told the crowd her campaign would not be 'knocked off course.'

'Now, I will tell you that my mom taught me to never, ever quit, and what does that mean?' she asked, before explaining: 'When you're knocked down, what matters is that you get up again.'

'I'm not stopping now, we're just getting warmed up,' she added. 'We're not going to be distracted, no matter what our opponents throw at us.'

Not stopping: Clinton said at a Florida rally Sunday that she was 'just getting warmed up' and had no intention of being 'distracted; or 'knocked off course' by recent events

How has this affected the Clinton campaign's polling numbers?

Clinton has been badly damaged by Friday's shocking announcement.

The ABC News/Washington Post tracking poll taken after Comey announced the reopening of the case Friday showed Trump just one point behind Clinton, with 45 percent support to her 46 percent.

Last week Clinton was up 12 points, meaning that she lost a double-digit lead in a week's time.

A third of the likely voters polled said they were less likely to cast a vote for Clinton because of the reopened email probe.

Could this affect the results of the election?

Possibly - although 12million people had already submitted their ballots before Comey's Friday announcement about reopening the case.

That's roughly 10 per cent of the vote.

Early counts of Arizona, Iowa and Nevada votes suggested that Clinton dominated.

What has Trump's response been - and does this mean he's even less likely to concede a Clinton win?

Scandal: Trump has called the Clinton email case 'the biggest scandal since Watergate' since it was reopened

Trump has jumped on the opportunity to badmouth his opponent - and looks bedded-in no matter what may come.

Although Comey recommended no criminal charges be brought against Clinton at the close of the first investigation, Trump has repeatedly said her email practices are criminal and should disqualify her for office.

He seized on Friday's development at rallies in Maine and New Hampshire.

'This is the biggest political scandal since Watergate, and I'm sure it will be properly handled from this point forward,' Trump told a crowd in Lisbon, Maine.

He has also continued to raise the case on Twitter. On Sunday he tweeted: 'We are now leading in many polls, and many of these were taken before the criminal investigation announcement on Friday - great in states!'

According to data compiled by Real Clear Politics Sunday night, Clinton maintains an average of a 4.3 lead on Trump, who took the lead in a small fraction of the polls used.

However, the gap between him and Clinton has closed considerably since news about the reopened FBI case broke.

The Republican candidate had publicly challenged the idea of accepting a Clinton win before this latest scandal, even when Clinton had a 12-point lead, speculating on 'rigging' at election points and in the media.

'Leading': Trump gloated about 'leading in many polls' on Twitter. While the vast majority of polls put Clinton ahead, the FBI announcement closed the former 12-point gap considerably

He continued to push that theory over the weekend. At a rally on Saturday, in Phoenix, he said: 'Hillary set up an illegal server for the obvious purpose of shielding her criminal conduct from public disclosure and exposure.'

That remark contradicted the FBI's previous conclusion on the matter.

And on Sunday at a Greeley, Colorado rally, in which he told his supporters to vote in person and not rely on the mail system – even if they already mailed their vote.

'They will give you a ballot, a new ballot,' he said. 'They'll void your old ballot and give you a new ballot and you can go ahead and make sure it gets in.

'Now in some places they probably do that four or five times. We don't do that. But that's great.'

Given the closing gap, it's hard to imagine him giving up now.

What is the status of the original Clinton email probe? How has this affected it?

The original investigation is now active again, and continues.

The FBI spent about a year investigating Clinton's use of the unauthorized server at her home in Chappaqua, New York, while she was secretary of state.

That came after classified government secrets were found in some of her emails.

Clinton was blasted for being 'extremely careless' with her handling of official emails, but it was ultimately decided she should not be charged.

In July, Comey announced that while '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.'

The discovery of these possible new emails has reopened the case entirely.