FBI shut down Hillary Clinton-related criminal investigations ahead of 2016 election at request of top officials close to Clinton family: Durham report

A newly released Department of Justice report by special counsel John Durham revealed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation shut down at least four criminal investigations into Hillary Clinton and the Clintons' nonprofit foundation ahead of the 2016 presidential election at the request of the agency's top officials who have close ties to the family.

The bombshell 316-page report showed that one of the investigations was launched in late 2014 before Clinton announced her presidential candidacy. The bureau received information from "a well-placed [source] that a foreign government was planning to send an individual to contribute to Clinton's anticipated presidential campaign, as a way to gain influence with Clinton should she win the presidency."

FBI investigators obtained a document containing evidence of one alleged $2,700 illegal contribution that subsequently led to another "contribution of a significant sum of money." At the time of the alleged initial contribution, it was the maximum amount allowed for an individual donation.

In 2016, FBI field offices in Washington, D.C., Little Rock, Arkansas, and New York launched separate investigations into the Clinton Foundation for "possible criminal activity."

The FBI's Little Rock field office revealed in a January 2016 report regarding the Clinton Foundation that it found evidence that "large monetary contributions were made to a non-profit, under both direct and indirect control of [a] federal public official, in exchange for favorable government action and/or influence."

A confidential source told the agency that staff working on Clinton's campaign "were fully aware from the start" of the foreign contributions and "were okay with it."

An anonymous FBI agent reported that the investigation was "in limbo" for several months because "everyone was 'super more careful'" and "scared with the big name [Clinton]" involved. In addition, the agent described colleagues' behavior around Clinton as "tippy-toeing" because "there was a chance she would be the next President."

Ahead of the 2016 presidential election, all four FBI investigations were shut down, several at the request of top FBI officials with close ties to the Clinton family.

During an FBI meeting in early 2016, former Deputy Director of the FBI Andrew McCabe "initially directed the field offices" investigating the Clinton Foundation "to close their cases." McCabe was described as being "negative," "annoyed," and "angry" about the probes.

The New York field office was directed to "cease and desist" its investigation "due to some undisclosed counterintelligence concern," the report stated. The directive to drop the investigation was reportedly delivered to the field office on behalf of former FBI Director James Comey.

A spokesperson for the Clinton Foundation told the Daily Mail that the long-awaited Durham report "emphasized what's been clear for many years – there's never been any wrongdoing by the Clinton Foundation."

"None of the Clintons have ever taken any money from the Clinton Foundation — in fact, the Clintons themselves are major donors to the Clinton Foundation," the spokesperson added.

Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz and former Utah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz are calling for the investigations into the Clinton family and nonprofit foundation to be reopened.

"The Clintons had a team of people at the FBI running interference for them to avoid criminal culpability," Gaetz told the Daily Mail. "These matters absolutely warrant additional exposure and review."

Chaffetz accused the FBI of failing to "complete the job."

"They had the scent, they were on the trail, and they were shut down by the higher-ups who had an obvious political desire to see Donald Trump lose and Hillary Clinton win," he stated. "It's disgusting, really. Absolutely these investigations should be revisited."

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