FBI agents are reportedly skeptical of the law enforcement agency's decision to close the Hillary Clinton email investigation without recommending criminal charges.

Agents told the New York Post that they "believe there was an inside deal put in place" after Attorney General Loretta Lynch met privately with former President Bill Clinton just days ahead of the FBI's announcement that its year-long probe had ended.

Investigators were reportedly forced to sign unusually extensive nondisclosure agreements that would prevent them from speaking publicly about the investigation of Hillary Clinton's private email use.

The FBI's decision last week rankled Republicans, who have pushed the Justice Department to open a second probe into whether the former secretary of state committeed perjury last year when she testified before the House Select Committee on Benghazi.

The Justice Department did not return a request for comment.