{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/new-records-reveal-dojs-yearslong-efforts-to-shut-down-investigation-into-clinton-foundation", "New Records Reveal DOJ\u2019s Yearslong Efforts to Shut Down Investigation into Clinton Foundation", "2025-12-15", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "Senate", "IA", "Chuck Grassley", "G000386", "www.grassley.senate.gov", "grassley", "https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Department of Justice (DOJ) records provided to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) offer a behind-the-scenes look at how top leadership during the Obama-Biden administration repeatedly interfered to prevent DOJ prosecutors and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents from investigating the Clinton Foundation\u2019s financial dealings.\n\n\u201cThe mainstream media smeared any investigation into Hillary Clinton as unfounded nonsense, but in reality, line agents and federal prosecutors seeking to follow up on legitimate leads were sidelined by partisan leadership looking to save Clinton\u2019s reputation. That\u2019s a night-and-day departure from how the Biden Justice Department handled the Arctic Frost investigation against President Trump,\u201d Grassley said. \u201cFor too long, our Justice Department has chosen winners and losers instead of enforcing the law without regard to power, party or privilege. That must never happen again. I thank Attorney General Bondi and Director Patel for turning over these records, so the American people finally know how their Justice Department failed in the Clinton investigations.\u201d\n\nThe records, including internal emails and an investigatory timeline, were provided to Grassley in response to his oversight request and whistleblower allegations. Per the records:\n\nOn July 20, 2016\u2014111 days before the 2016 election\u2014an agent with the FBI\u2019s Criminal Investigative Division ordered that, \u201cbased on the sensitivities surrounding the Clinton Foundation,\u201d agents were prohibited from issuing subpoenas, conducting interviews or sharing information related to the case with other offices so as to avoid \u201c[creating] any impression we are investigating the Clinton Foundation or the Clintons.\u201d\n\nIn November 2016, FBI Headquarters, while under the leadership of then-Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, stepped in to block the Clinton Foundation investigative team from accessing potentially incriminating evidence located on the laptop of Anthony Weiner, the husband of Hillary Clinton\u2019s political aide, Huma Abedin. McCabe, among others, recommended the information instead be routed to the FBI\u2019s \u201cMidyear\u201d investigative team.\n\nAfter the investigation was reopened in 2017, Main Justice holdovers from the previous administration allegedly provided prosecutors in the United States Attorney\u2019s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas (EDAR) with documents that omitted information regarding DOJ and FBI leadership\u2019s interference. Additional requests the EDAR made to the FBI in 2018 \u201cruffled some feathers\u201d and didn\u2019t result in a response.\n\nAn EDAR prosecutor concluded \u201cthere appear to be conflicts of interest for the leadership [at Main Justice, including the Public Integrity Section,] related to the 2016 [Clinton] investigations that undermine any confidence we might normally have in looking to them for assistance.\u201d\n\nView the records and Grassley\u2019s follow-up letter to the DOJ and FBI HERE.\n\nDecember 15, 2025\n\nVIA ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION\n\nThe Honorable Pamela Bondi\n\nAttorney General\n\nDepartment of Justice\n\nThe Honorable Kash Patel\n\nDirector\n\nFederal Bureau of Investigation\n\nDear Attorney General Bondi and Director Patel:\n\nOn July 18, 2025, I wrote to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) requesting records related to whistleblower allegations that during investigations into the Clintons and their associated groups, DOJ prosecutors and FBI agents didn\u2019t receive support from DOJ\u2019s Public Integrity Section (PIN) and FBI executive management for additional investigative steps.[1] Notably, my letter also requested all records relating to the FBI\u2019s Clinton Foundation investigation.[2] My letter was based on years of investigative work with courageous whistleblowers. Since then, your offices have produced records based on these whistleblower disclosures and I appreciate your cooperation with my investigative work.\n\nAccording to the records obtained by my office, during the Clinton Foundation investigation, FBI Headquarters (HQ) leadership, including former-Deputy Director (DD) McCabe, obstructed investigative activities.[3] Notably, in November 2015, former-DD McCabe\u2019s wife, Dr. Jill McCabe, received over $675,000 from political entities connected to former Virginia Governor and Clinton Foundation Board Member, Terry McAuliffe.[4] According to reports and records, $467,500 came in \u201cmonetary contributions\u201d from McAuliffe\u2019s PAC, and $207,788 came from the Virginia Democratic Party as \u201cin-kind contributions,\u201d when McAuliffe was governor of the state.[5] Ultimately, McCabe had to recuse himself from the investigation on November 1, 2016.[6]\n\nAccording to emails obtained by my office, on July 20, 2016\u2014111 days before the 2016 election\u2014an agent with the FBI\u2019s Criminal Investigative Division (CID) stated that, \u201cbased on the sensitivities surrounding the Clinton Foundation,\u201d agents were prohibited from \u201csubpoena[ing] additional records related to the Foundation, the Clintons\u201d; \u201cconduct[ing] any interviews related to the Foundation or the Clintons\u201d; and \u201cshar[ing] any of the Foundation bank account info with any other offices.\u201d[7] Emails also show that the FBI \u201c[did] not want to create any impression we are investigating the Clinton Foundation or the Clintons.\u201d[8] Internal FBI emails from January 12, 2017, show that the direction came from \u201chigher, i.e., the DD (McCabe).\u201d[9]\n\nRecords provided to my office show that on September 26, 2016, the US Attorney\u2019s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) obtained a search warrant for the laptop of Anthony Weiner, whose wife, Huma Abedin, was a political aide to Hillary Clinton during her time as Secretary of State, in connection with a child exploitation investigation.[10] During the course of their investigation, the SDNY discovered information on the Weiner laptop connected to the FBI\u2019s investigation into Hillary Clinton\u2019s mishandling of classified information.[11] According to the records provided to my office, on November 1, 2016, the FBI\u2019s New York Field Office (NYFO) former-Assistant Director in Charge (ADIC) Sweeney, requested that the Clinton Foundation investigative team be allowed to either review the Weiner laptop or be provided a briefing by the Weiner review team, which allegedly FBI HQ initially refused.[12]\n\nFor example, according to records provided to my office, on November 7, 2016, then-Executive Assistant Director (EAD) Coleman noted that \u201c[i]t was determined by DD McCabe and EAD Steinbach that any follow on investigative activity concerning the emails located on Anthony Weiner\u2019s laptop would be reviewed by the MIDYEAR investigative team.\u201d[13] Accordingly, it appears that the Clinton Foundation investigators, at that time, had to depend on the MIDYEAR team, which included Peter Strzok, for information.[14]\n\nFurthermore, on July 24, 2017, under the Trump administration, the United States Attorney\u2019s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas (USAO EDAR) and FBI Little Rock reopened their investigation into the Clinton Foundation.[15] During the course of their investigation, in November 2017, the US Attorney for the EDAR, Cody Hiland, requested information from then-head of DOJ PIN Ray Hulser and then-Acting Chief Anna Lou Tirol about \u201cwho made the decision to shut the [original] case down.\u201d[16] Documents provided to my office also note that Hulser provided Hiland with a timeline that \u201comitted ALL references to interference from DOJ and FBI leadership.\u201d[17]\n\nEmails provided to my office also show that during the course of their reopened investigation, in July 2018, attorneys at the EDAR requested additional information to determine \u201cwhether sufficient probable cause exists to submit a search warrant affidavit for the Weiner laptop related to violations of 18 U.S.C. 201(b) and 201(c), 18 U.S.C. \u00a7 208, 18 U.S.C. \u00a7\u00a7 1343, 1344, 18 U.S.C. \u00a7 1956, 1957, 18 U.S.C. \u00a7 1962 and perhaps other statutes.\u201d[18] EDAR attorneys also stated that for their team to make the assessment, \u201cour office has determined that there is a need to be given access to some of the information described in the OIG Report that was released on June 11, 2018. This is necessary in order to determine if additional information related to these potential violations is currently possessed and already within the government\u2019s knowledge.\u201d[19] According to emails, the request \u201cruffled some feathers\u201d and the EDAR didn\u2019t \u201creceive[] any response from that request.\u201d[20]\n\nEmails from September 2018 also indicate that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Jonathan Ross at the EDAR had concerns about support from Main Justice and PIN regarding the Clinton Foundation investigation, stating that \u201c[b]ut as we have previously discussed, there appear to be conflicts of interest for the leadership there related to the 2016 [Clinton] investigations that undermine any confidence we might normally have in looking to them for assistance.\u201d[21] According to documents provided to my office, prosecutors at the EDAR recommended in July 2019 that a referral be made to the DOJ OIG regarding the \u201cmanner in which the investigation had been conducted,\u201d and that they did what they could do \u201cabout the interference by DOJ and FBI leadership at the time with the FBI\u2019s [Clinton Foundation] investigation.\u201d[22]\n\nThe above are just some examples of interference that occurred when agents and prosecutors investigated the Clinton Foundation. In order for Congress to conduct proper oversight of past DOJ and FBI conduct, please provide the following no later than December 29, 2025:\n\nProvide the report titled \u201cAnthony Weiner Laptop Review for Communications Pertinent to Midyear Exam\u201d dated November 15, 2016.\n\nProvide all records related to the search warrant affidavits for Anthony Weiner\u2019s laptop.\n\nProvide all records related to the \u201cyellow sheet of paper, at least 7 separate domains viewed on the device that were affiliated with the Clintons,\u201d which was provided to a NYFO ASAC by a NYFO SA Forensic Examiner.[23]\n\nProvide all records related to the decision to withdraw the third 2020 search warrant for the Weiner laptop including copies of all documents attached to the FBI EC titled \u201cWithdrawn Search Warrant \u2013 Western Digital Hard Disk Drive, MODEL WD2003FZEX, S/N WMC6N0D5ZNA9.\u201d[24]\n\nProvide the document titled \u201cInvestigative History, Status, and Recommendations Concerning the Clinton Foundation.\u201d\n\nProvide all emails related to the Clinton Foundation investigation and Anthony Weiner laptop to, from, or cc\u2019ing Cody Hiland, Jonathan Ross, John Huber, Andrew McCabe, Diane Upchurch, Randy Coleman, Ray Hulser, and Anna Lou Tirol.\n\nProvide all records requested in the July 5, 2018, email titled \u201cRequest for information related to DOJ OIG report issued June 11, 2018.\u201d\n\nProvide all emails and records in Exhibit 1, as well as records produced in conjunction with this letter, in unredacted form.\n\nThank you for your prompt review and response. If you have any questions, please contact Tucker Akin of my Committee staff at (202) 224-5225.\n\nSincerely,\n\nCharles E. Grassley\n\nChairman\n\nCommittee on the Judiciary", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/new-records-reveal-dojs-yearslong-efforts-to-shut-down-investigation-into-clinton-foundation"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.694155089557171, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}