A letter sent by FBI Acting Assistant Director Jason Herring to the House Oversight Committee confirms that the three emails media is making such hay over did not originate with Secretary Clinton, nor was the use of the term "extremely careless" meant to establish some mythical standard of conduct which did not exist before Director Comey's statement.

Herring also specifically compared the Clinton emails with the prosecutions of Bryan Nishimura, David Petraeus, and Sandy Berger. In all of those cases, the FBI said, there was "clear evidence of knowledge and intent," which was not present in this investigation.

As for the term "extremely careless," Herring explained that the term was "intended to be a common sense way of describing the actions of Secretary Clinton and her colleagues." He further clarified that "the facts did not support a recommendation to prosecute her or others within the scope of the investigation for gross negligence."

This will surely not deter the spittle-flecked Trump supporters out there shouting "Lock her up!" But for those who encounter people who are only marginally paying attention, the two takeaways here are as follows:

Clinton did not send emails with information marked classified in them. She received them. There was no intent on her part -- or her staff's -- to share classified information with people not entitled to see it.

This letter appears to be intended as a slap back at Republicans who are using this bogus investigation for nothing more than cynical political gain. As if a mere letter from the FBI would stop that.