Kevin Johnson

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department's inspector general Thursday announced a wide-ranging review of the FBI's handling of its inquiry into former secretary of State Hillary Clinton's email use, exhuming a series of events that the Democratic presidential nominee claimed helped doom her bid for the White House.

Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz said the review was prompted by requests from federal lawmakers and members of the public.

The internal inquiry will examine whether the Justice Department and FBI followed established "policies and procedures'' when FBI Director James Comey publicly announced in July that the bureau would not recommend criminal charges against Clinton related to her use of a private email server while at the State Department.

The recommendation was quickly accepted by Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who had effectively ceded control of the inquiry to the FBI director after she met briefly with former president Bill Clinton prior to the conclusion of the investigation.

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Horowitz also will review the explosive series of events in the days immediately before the November general election when Comey announced Oct. 28 that the bureau was reopening the inquiry after a new cache of emails was discovered during a separate federal review that targeted former Rep. Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin. Weiner has been the subject of an investigation into alleged sexually charged communications with a young girl.

The re-opened inquiry was closed Nov. 6--just two days before Election Day — but Clinton has blamed the episode as contributing to her election loss to President-elect Donald Trump.

The FBI director's action in October went against long-established Justice and FBI policy not to take action in close proximity to an election that could influence the vote. Comey's late October decision also went against the counsel of the attorney general.

The inspector general's review will not evaluate the merits of the now-closed criminal inquiry or challenge the conclusions not to prosecute Clinton. Rather, it will focus on Justice and FBI policies that guided the probe.

Into the new administration

Unless Trump pursues the removal of the inspector general (the agency watchdogs serve at the pleasure of the president), the review virtually assures that the campaign drama that resulted in Trump's election will live on into the new administration. It also threatens to cast an even more critical light on Comey's actions.

"The review will not substitute the (inspector general's) judgment for the judgments made by the FBI or the Department (of Justice) regarding the substantive merits of investigative or prosecutive decisions,'' the inspector general said in a written statement. "Finally, if circumstances warrant, the OIG will consider including other issues that may arise during the course of the review.''

Horowitz also is expected to review whether Justice or FBI personnel "improperly disclosed non-public information'' during the series of the events that included the late October disclosure of the re-opened Clinton inquiry.

Immediately after notifying Congress that he was re-opening the Clinton probe, the director became the target of withering criticism for departing from long-standing Justice Department policy against taking politically charged actions in close proximity to an election. The actions also exposed sharp divisions within the bureau.

Among the sharpest rebukes came from former Attorney General Eric Holder, who was among nearly 100 former Justice officials who expressed their objections in a letter soon after the action.

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In a statement Thursday, Comey said he was "grateful'' that the inspector general was taking on such a review and he pledged to "cooperate fully with him and his office.''

"I hope very much he is able to share his conclusions and observations with the public because everyone will benefit from thoughtful evaluation and transparency regarding this matter,'' Comey said.

Former Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said that while the campaign "certainly publicly questioned Director Comey's action,'' Clinton officials did not request the inspector general's inquiry. Yet he said such a review was "encouraging and utterly necessary in order to take the first step to restore the FBI's reputation as a non-partisan institution.''

Republican and Democrat lawmakers also largely welcomed the inspector general's action.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, had requested such a review, though he expressed concern that Horowitz's review would not include an examination of Lynch's "failure to recuse herself'' from the inquiry after meeting with former President Clinton shortly before Comey's initial July announcement not to recommend charges. (Following the June meeting with former President Clinton, Lynch said she would accept whatever recommendation Comey made to the Justice Department.)

"It is in the public interest to provide a full accounting of all the facts that led to the FBI and Justice Department's decision-making regarding the investigation,'' Grassley said.

Reps. John Conyers and Elijah Cummings, ranking Democrats on the House Judiciary and House Oversight and Government Reform committees, also had sought an examination by the inspector general.

"Our citizens must be able to trust that the FBI, our chief federal law enforcement agency, is non-partisan and does not insert itself into the electoral process,'' the congressmen said in a joint statement.

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