FBI drops bombshell, and investigation: Clinton still in the clear

The FBI's backed away from its almost-unprecedented (and much-criticised) intervention in the US Federal election, announcing there's nothing to investigate in the “Anthony Weiner e-mails”.

The news has broken in a Tweet from Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight Committee.

FBI Dir just informed us "Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Sec Clinton"

— Jason Chaffetz (@jasoninthehouse) November 6, 2016

Comey has written the following to the committee (and seven other committees):

I write to supplement my October 28, 2016 letter that notified you the FBI would be taking additional investigative steps with respect to former Secretary of State Clinton's use of a personal email server. Since my letter, the FBI investigative team has been working around the clock to process and review a large volulme of emails from a device obtained in connection with an unrelated criminal investigation. During that process, we reviewed all of the communications that were to or from Hillary Clinton while she was Secretary of State.

Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton.

I am very grateful lto the professionals at the FBI forr doing an extraordinary amount of high-quality work in a short period of time.

In other words, there was no smoking gun in the e-mails, because there was no gun. ®