The FBI has no evidence that Russia successfully hacked President-elect Donald Trump&#39;s campaign or the Republican National Committee (RNC), Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey said on Tuesday.

Testifying before Congress for the first time since Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton on November&nbsp;8, Comey declined to answer a question about whether the FBI was investigating the possibility of links between Trump associates and Russia.

US&nbsp;intelligence agencies on Friday released an assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an effort to help Republican Trump&#39;s electoral chances by discrediting Clinton in the 2016 campaign.

The report, which omitted classified details, was the US&nbsp;government&#39;s starkest public description of what it says was an Russian campaign to manipulate the American electoral process. Russian authorities have denied interfering in the election.

&quot;We did not develop any evidence that the Trump campaign, or the current RNC, was successfully hacked,&quot; Comey told lawmakers.

He said there was evidence Russia hacked Republican state-level political campaigns and &quot;old&quot; email domains that the RNC was no longer using. While it collected some information from these hacks, Russia did not publicly release it, he said.

In contrast, Friday&#39;s report assessed that Russian military intelligence used intermediaries such as WikiLeaks, DCLeaks.com and the Guccifer 2.0 &quot;persona&quot; to release emails that it had acquired from the Democratic National Committee and top Democrats as part of the effort to help Trump and harm Clinton.

(Reuters)

James Comey said there was evidence Russia hacked Republican state-level political campaigns and 'old' email domains that RNC no longer used

The FBI has no evidence that Russia successfully hacked President-elect Donald Trump's campaign or the Republican National Committee (RNC), Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey said on Tuesday. Testifying before Congress for the first time since Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton on November 8, Comey declined to answer a question about whether the FBI was investigating the possibility of links between Trump associates and Russia. US intelligence agencies on Friday released an assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an effort to help Republican Trump's electoral chances by discrediting Clinton in the 2016 campaign. The report, which omitted classified details, was the US government's starkest public description of what it says was an Russian campaign to manipulate the American electoral process. Russian authorities have denied interfering in the election. "We did not develop any evidence that the Trump campaign, or the current RNC, was successfully hacked," Comey told lawmakers. He said there was evidence Russia hacked Republican state-level political campaigns and "old" email domains that the RNC was no longer using. While it collected some information from these hacks, Russia did not publicly release it, he said. In contrast, Friday's report assessed that Russian military intelligence used intermediaries such as WikiLeaks, DCLeaks.com and the Guccifer 2.0 "persona" to release emails that it had acquired from the Democratic National Committee and top Democrats as part of the effort to help Trump and harm Clinton. (Reuters)

No evidence Trump campaign or RNC 'successfully hacked' says FBI

&nbsp;

The suspect in the shooting of a US consular official in Mexico&#39;s western city of Guadalajara has been arrested, Mexican officials have told news agencies.

The identity of the suspect, who is an American, was not released, and authorities did not comment on a possible motive for the attack.

Mexican authorities said the US official, who has not been identified, is now in stable condition. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation had offered a reward of $20,000 for information to help identify and arrest the shooter.

A video posted online by the consulate in Guadalajara showed the shooter appearing to wait for the official&#39;s car to pull up at a car park barrier before shooting directly at the driver and running away.&nbsp;Authorities also released video of the suspect walking down a hallway and around a white van, where his face was more clearly visible.

(Agencies)

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Mexican authorities have arrested the alleged gunman who, while disguised as a nurse, shot and wounded a US consular official in Guadalajara (WION)
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The suspect in the shooting of a US consular official in Mexico's western city of Guadalajara has been arrested

The suspect in the shooting of a US consular official in Mexico's western city of Guadalajara has been arrested, Mexican officials have told news agencies. The identity of the suspect, who is an American, was not released, and authorities did not comment on a possible motive for the attack. Mexican authorities said the US official, who has not been identified, is now in stable condition. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation had offered a reward of $20,000 for information to help identify and arrest the shooter. A video posted online by the consulate in Guadalajara showed the shooter appearing to wait for the official's car to pull up at a car park barrier before shooting directly at the driver and running away. Authorities also released video of the suspect walking down a hallway and around a white van, where his face was more clearly visible. (Agencies) Mexican authorities have arrested the alleged gunman who, while disguised as a nurse, shot and wounded a US consular official in Guadalajara (WION) ×

US consular shooting: Gunman arrested in Mexico

House Republicans have revived a law from 1876 that allows members of Congress to target individual federal employees and reduce their pay to $1, the Washington Post reports.

The Holman Rule, as it&#39;s known, permits Congress members to single out any of the 2.1 million civil servants the US employs for a career-ending reduction in pay, as well as to cut specific programs to $0, the Washington Post reports.

Majorities in the House and Senate still&nbsp;need to approve the amendment before the Holman Rule can be enacted, but the mere possibility has critics fearing&nbsp;Republicans can use this to target&nbsp;opponents.

There are reasons to be suspicious.

Two&nbsp;weeks ago the Trump transition team sent a questionnaire to&nbsp;the <a href="http://www.salon.com/2017/01/06/house-republicans-support-rule-that-could-allow-them-to-pay-individual-federal-workers-1/">Department of Energy</a>&nbsp;to identify&nbsp;specific employees working on&nbsp;climate change, <a href="http://www.salon.com/2017/01/06/house-republicans-support-rule-that-could-allow-them-to-pay-individual-federal-workers-1/">Salon reports</a>. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/josh-rogin/wp/2016/12/22/trump-team-asked-state-department-for-info-on-womens-issues-programs-stoking-fears-of-another-witch-hunt/?utm_term=.f3fbe99d7958">The Washington Post</a> reports that Trump&#39;s team also sought the names from the State Department&nbsp;of individuals working on women&#39;s health issues.

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Oh, hey, remember when the transition team asked for names of climate change staff at DOE and women&#39;s program staff at State? This is why. <a href="https://t.co/fAxAOliFwG">https://t.co/fAxAOliFwG</a>
&mdash; Megan Carpentier (@megancarpentier) <a href="https://twitter.com/megancarpentier/status/817147618363117569">January 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Also in the crosshairs is&nbsp;intelligence.&nbsp;On Thursday,&nbsp;Trump said that plans to overhaul the Office of the Director National Intelligence, Salon reports.&nbsp;

Trump has clashed for weeks&nbsp;with US intelligence agencies, who now state&nbsp;unequivocally that&nbsp;Vladimir Putin interefered in the US election to benefit Trump. Trump, who in the presidential debates openly called on Russia&nbsp;to hack Clinton&#39;s emails, denied that Russia had any role in interfering&nbsp;with the US election. Last night he issued a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-admits-russia-interfered-with-us-election-after-meeting-intelligence-heads-10988">statement</a>&nbsp;admitting&nbsp;that Russia, among others, did interefere&nbsp;in the US election, but denied&nbsp;that it&nbsp;affected its&nbsp;outcome.

Trump&nbsp;has&nbsp;claimed&nbsp;he does not receive daily intelligence briefings, and has cast doubt on his country&#39;s own intellgence agencies. Last week he publicly sided with&nbsp;Julian Assange over&nbsp;the FBI, CIA and the White House.

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Julian Assange said &quot;a 14 year old could have hacked Podesta&quot; - why was DNC so careless? Also said Russians did not give him the info!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/816620855958601730">January 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Republican Represenative from Virginia H Morgan Griffith suggested the Holman Rule may really&nbsp;come about&nbsp;and&nbsp;appeared to justify it,&nbsp;telling&nbsp;the Washington Post:&nbsp;&quot;I can&#39;t tell you it won&#39;t happen...The Power is there. But isn&#39;t that appropriate? Who runs the country, the people of the United State or the people on the people&#39;s payroll?&quot;

House Majority leader told reporters earlier in the week appeared to justify the Holman Rule, saying, &quot;All agencies should be held accountable and tested in a manner, and this is an avenue to allow them to do it&quot;, Salon reports.

The Holman Rule could be used in still more places&nbsp;too, critics fear.&nbsp;

As <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/01/congress-can-now-cut-the-pay-of-individual-civil-servants.html">NYMag</a> neatly points&nbsp;out, Trump is picking candidates with decades of experience&nbsp;that run contrary to&nbsp;the stated objectives of the departments they will lead: &quot;The president-elect&rsquo;s Labor Secretary&ndash;designate is&nbsp;<a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/12/trump-gives-middle-finger-to-wage-earners-with-labor-pick.html" target="_blank">a fast-food executive</a>&nbsp;whose restaurants are serial violators of labor law; his EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) head is an&nbsp;<a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/12/report-donald-trump-names-scott-pruitt-as-head-of-the-epa.html" target="_blank">ally of the oil industry</a>&nbsp;who loves to sue the EPA; his&nbsp;<a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/11/carson-is-trumps-pick-for-hud-for-some-awful-reason.html" target="_blank">head of Housing and Urban Development</a>&nbsp;has called the Fair Housing Act &#39;communist&#39;.&quot;

On Tuesday Republicans voted to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-republicans-scrap-move-to-gut-non-partisan-ethics-watchdog-10872">gut the only non-partisan ethics </a>watchdog committed to overseeing&nbsp;Congress.&nbsp;

This week, in an unprecedented step,&nbsp;Trump demanded&nbsp;that&nbsp;all US envoys around the world posted by <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-asks-us-envoys-appointed-by-obama-to-quit-by-inauguration-day-10984">Obama must quit their post</a> before his January 20 inauguration. This threatens to leave the US without envoys in several important countries, including Canada, Germany, and Britain.

How&nbsp;the Republicans use this 140-year-old law has yet to be seen, but&nbsp;their hostility to the previous administration&nbsp;is&nbsp;beyond a doubt.&nbsp;

(WION)&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Critics fear Republicans will use the obscure Holman Rule to attack a broad spectrum of opponents. There are many good reasons to worry

House Republicans have revived a law from 1876 that allows members of Congress to target individual federal employees and reduce their pay to $1, the Washington Post reports. The Holman Rule, as it's known, permits Congress members to single out any of the 2.1 million civil servants the US employs for a career-ending reduction in pay, as well as to cut specific programs to $0, the Washington Post reports. Majorities in the House and Senate still need to approve the amendment before the Holman Rule can be enacted, but the mere possibility has critics fearing Republicans can use this to target opponents. There are reasons to be suspicious. Two weeks ago the Trump transition team sent a questionnaire to the Department of Energy to identify specific employees working on climate change, Salon reports. The Washington Post reports that Trump's team also sought the names from the State Department of individuals working on women's health issues. Oh, hey, remember when the transition team asked for names of climate change staff at DOE and women's program staff at State? This is why. https://t.co/fAxAOliFwG — Megan Carpentier (@megancarpentier) January 5, 2017 × Also in the crosshairs is intelligence. On Thursday, Trump said that plans to overhaul the Office of the Director National Intelligence, Salon reports. Trump has clashed for weeks with US intelligence agencies, who now state unequivocally that Vladimir Putin interefered in the US election to benefit Trump. Trump, who in the presidential debates openly called on Russia to hack Clinton's emails, denied that Russia had any role in interfering with the US election. Last night he issued a statement admitting that Russia, among others, did interefere in the US election, but denied that it affected its outcome. Trump has claimed he does not receive daily intelligence briefings, and has cast doubt on his country's own intellgence agencies. Last week he publicly sided with Julian Assange over the FBI, CIA and the White House. Julian Assange said "a 14 year old could have hacked Podesta" - why was DNC so careless? Also said Russians did not give him the info! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2017 × Republican Represenative from Virginia H Morgan Griffith suggested the Holman Rule may really come about and appeared to justify it, telling the Washington Post: "I can't tell you it won't happen...The Power is there. But isn't that appropriate? Who runs the country, the people of the United State or the people on the people's payroll?" House Majority leader told reporters earlier in the week appeared to justify the Holman Rule, saying, "All agencies should be held accountable and tested in a manner, and this is an avenue to allow them to do it", Salon reports. The Holman Rule could be used in still more places too, critics fear. As NYMag neatly points out, Trump is picking candidates with decades of experience that run contrary to the stated objectives of the departments they will lead: "The president-elect’s Labor Secretary–designate is a fast-food executive whose restaurants are serial violators of labor law; his EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) head is an ally of the oil industry who loves to sue the EPA; his head of Housing and Urban Development has called the Fair Housing Act 'communist'." On Tuesday Republicans voted to gut the only non-partisan ethics watchdog committed to overseeing Congress. This week, in an unprecedented step, Trump demanded that all US envoys around the world posted by Obama must quit their post before his January 20 inauguration. This threatens to leave the US without envoys in several important countries, including Canada, Germany, and Britain. How the Republicans use this 140-year-old law has yet to be seen, but their hostility to the previous administration is beyond a doubt. (WION)

Republicans invoke 140-year-old law that could reduce federal employees' wage to $1

US federal authorities warned local law enforcement authorities across the US on Friday that supporters of the Islamic State have been calling upon their sympathisers to attack holiday gatherings, including churches, a law enforcement official said.

Though no specific threat has been issued, a pro-Islamic State group has published a list of churches, that can be potential targets across the US on its websites, Reuters reported.

Immediately after the warning was issued, President-elect Donald Trump raised the topic of the recent Berlin Christmas market attack and urged the world to combat the Islamic State group.

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The terrorist who killed so many people in Germany said just before crime, &quot;by God&#39;s will we will slaughter you pigs, I swear, we will......
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/812406855469252608">23 December 2016</a></blockquote>
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slaughter you. This is a purely religious threat, which turned into reality. Such hatred! When will the U.S., and all countries, fight back?
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/812408189492797442">23 December 2016</a></blockquote>
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A retired FBI officer said&nbsp;the warning from national security officials is&nbsp;just a precaution, but one that local law enforcement agencies take seriously.

FBI spokesman Andrew Ames said in a statement, &quot;The FBI is aware of the recent link published online that urges attacks against US&nbsp;churches. As with similar threats, the FBI is tracking this matter while we investigate its credibility.&quot;

The warning came just days after Monday&#39;s attack at a Christmas market in Berlin that left 12 dead and 56 injured.

The notice was issued after a publicly-available list of US?churches that were potential targets was published on pro-Islamic State websites

US federal authorities warned local law enforcement authorities across the US on Friday that supporters of the Islamic State have been calling upon their sympathisers to attack holiday gatherings, including churches, a law enforcement official said. Though no specific threat has been issued, a pro-Islamic State group has published a list of churches, that can be potential targets across the US on its websites, Reuters reported. Immediately after the warning was issued, President-elect Donald Trump raised the topic of the recent Berlin Christmas market attack and urged the world to combat the Islamic State group. The terrorist who killed so many people in Germany said just before crime, "by God's will we will slaughter you pigs, I swear, we will...... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 23 December 2016 × slaughter you. This is a purely religious threat, which turned into reality. Such hatred! When will the U.S., and all countries, fight back? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 23 December 2016 × A retired FBI officer said the warning from national security officials is just a precaution, but one that local law enforcement agencies take seriously. FBI spokesman Andrew Ames said in a statement, "The FBI is aware of the recent link published online that urges attacks against US churches. As with similar threats, the FBI is tracking this matter while we investigate its credibility." The warning came just days after Monday's attack at a Christmas market in Berlin that left 12 dead and 56 injured.

FBI warns of possible IS-inspired attacks across US

A seven-member team of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States, arrived in India&rsquo;s eastern state of West Bengal to interrogate alleged Islamic State operative, Musa.&nbsp;

The team arrived at the National Investigation Agency (NIA) office in Bengal&rsquo;s capital, Kolkata, on Thursday afternoon to examine Musa&rsquo;s role.&nbsp;

On July 4, 25-year-old Mohammad Masiuddin alias Musa&nbsp;was arrested from the Burdwan railway station in Bengal by the state&#39;s criminal investigation department (CID)&nbsp;on charges of radicalising youth&nbsp;to join IS (Islamic State).&nbsp;

Later, the probe was taken over by India&rsquo;s National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the agency is currently probing his links with Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and also the Dhaka attacks. &nbsp;

While&nbsp;Soumitra Dhar, the superintendent of police of the zonal unit of NIA in Kolkata, refused to divulge any details about the investigation, sources in the NIA revealed that Musa had agreed to take on an assignment from a JMB leader, Abu Suleiman, for targetting foreigners and US nationals in India and beheading them.

In March 2015, Musa had met Abu Suleiman at his sister&rsquo;s wedding in Bengal.

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&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Suleiman is on the run and the Indian and Bangladeshi governments are looking for him.

Musa came under the scanner of CID and NIA after his e-mails and calls were traced to Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Syria. Officials in the investigating agency said that he had been in touch with several IS operatives in Syria through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.&nbsp;

Initial investigations revealed that he had also been in touch with several JMB operatives in Bangladesh.

A three-member team of Bangladesh&#39;s security intelligence department came to Kolkata on Monday to interrogate Musa.

(WION)

 
&nbsp;

On July 4, Musa was arrested in India by the criminal investigation department of Bengal on charges of radicalising youth to join IS

A seven-member team of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States, arrived in India’s eastern state of West Bengal to interrogate alleged Islamic State operative, Musa. The team arrived at the National Investigation Agency (NIA) office in Bengal’s capital, Kolkata, on Thursday afternoon to examine Musa’s role. On July 4, 25-year-old Mohammad Masiuddin alias Musa was arrested from the Burdwan railway station in Bengal by the state's criminal investigation department (CID) on charges of radicalising youth to join IS (Islamic State). Later, the probe was taken over by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the agency is currently probing his links with Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and also the Dhaka attacks. While Soumitra Dhar, the superintendent of police of the zonal unit of NIA in Kolkata, refused to divulge any details about the investigation, sources in the NIA revealed that Musa had agreed to take on an assignment from a JMB leader, Abu Suleiman, for targetting foreigners and US nationals in India and beheading them. In March 2015, Musa had met Abu Suleiman at his sister’s wedding in Bengal. A seven-member team of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States arrived in India’s eastern state of West Bengal to interrogate ISIS operative Musa. (WION) × Meanwhile, Suleiman is on the run and the Indian and Bangladeshi governments are looking for him. Musa came under the scanner of CID and NIA after his e-mails and calls were traced to Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Syria. Officials in the investigating agency said that he had been in touch with several IS operatives in Syria through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Initial investigations revealed that he had also been in touch with several JMB operatives in Bangladesh. A three-member team of Bangladesh's security intelligence department came to Kolkata on Monday to interrogate Musa. (WION)

India: FBI team arrives to interrogate Islamic State suspect Musa

Global equities markets were cheered Monday, taking heart in the final hours before the US elections after authorities again cleared Hillary Clinton of criminal wrongdoing over her emails.

The markets rallied, ending days of declines, after Sunday&#39;s announcement by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that the Democratic candidate still would not face charges over her use of a private server following review of the latest batch of emails.

&quot;Hillary Clinton getting the all-clear from the FBI over a new set of emails saw markets convulse into nervous relief,&quot; said Jasper Lawler, an analyst at CMC Markets. &quot;Stocks and North American currencies were in demand and havens like gold and bonds were dumped.&quot;

In New York, the major indices soared, with the S&amp;P 500 snapping a nine-day losing streak and rising 2.2 per cent, its biggest gain since March. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.1 per cent and the Nasdaq finished 2.4 per cent higher.&nbsp;

In Europe, Frankfurt and Paris both posted gains of 1.9 per cent, with London, up 1.7 per cent, not far behind.

&quot;Looks like a relief rally for investors that were worried about the outcome,&quot; said Jack Ablin of BMO Private Bank. &quot;Now that uncertainty surrounding the FBI investigation has been lifted investors believe that Hillary Clinton will win tomorrow.&quot;

Markets were in turmoil for the past week&nbsp;after the FBI said on October 28 that new emails linked to Clinton were being investigated, less than two weeks before the November 8 vote, this after having cleared Clinton once already in July.

The FBI had probed Clinton&#39;s use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state for possible violations in the handling of classified information.

Investors became more willing Monday to hold more risky assets like equities.

&quot;The FBI news triggered a risk rally across the global financial markets,&quot; said London Capital Group analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya.

&nbsp;&#39;Suddenly a happy place?&#39;&nbsp;

The Vix volatility index, a benchmark for investor fear, declined after nine straight days of gains.

But JJ Kinahan, chief market strategist at TD Ameritrade, suggested some investors had oversold, since uncertainty about the election result remains, despite stock gains.

&quot;It&#39;s hard to believe that without any results (except for early voting) the world&#39;s suddenly a happy place and there&#39;s no risk any more,&quot; Kinahan said.

Clinton is considered by many investors to be a safer bet than Trump, who is seen as a loose cannon with policies many fear could wreck the world&#39;s top economy.

The dollar rose sharply against the euro, the Yen and the Pound, as exchange markets shared in what investors viewed as positive news about the United States.

The Mexican Peso -- which has taken on an inverse relationship with Trump&#39;s presidential prospects -- also staged a stunning rally against the dollar to recoup all its losses from last week.

The currency is considered a reflection of Trump&#39;s chances because of his anti-Mexican rhetoric -- including his pledge to remove undocumented immigrants, build a border wall and tear up a trade deal.

&nbsp;

(AFP)

Investors became more willing Monday to hold more risky assets like equities

Global equities markets were cheered Monday, taking heart in the final hours before the US elections after authorities again cleared Hillary Clinton of criminal wrongdoing over her emails. The markets rallied, ending days of declines, after Sunday's announcement by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that the Democratic candidate still would not face charges over her use of a private server following review of the latest batch of emails. "Hillary Clinton getting the all-clear from the FBI over a new set of emails saw markets convulse into nervous relief," said Jasper Lawler, an analyst at CMC Markets. "Stocks and North American currencies were in demand and havens like gold and bonds were dumped." In New York, the major indices soared, with the S&P 500 snapping a nine-day losing streak and rising 2.2 per cent, its biggest gain since March. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.1 per cent and the Nasdaq finished 2.4 per cent higher. In Europe, Frankfurt and Paris both posted gains of 1.9 per cent, with London, up 1.7 per cent, not far behind. "Looks like a relief rally for investors that were worried about the outcome," said Jack Ablin of BMO Private Bank. "Now that uncertainty surrounding the FBI investigation has been lifted investors believe that Hillary Clinton will win tomorrow." Markets were in turmoil for the past week after the FBI said on October 28 that new emails linked to Clinton were being investigated, less than two weeks before the November 8 vote, this after having cleared Clinton once already in July. The FBI had probed Clinton's use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state for possible violations in the handling of classified information. Investors became more willing Monday to hold more risky assets like equities. "The FBI news triggered a risk rally across the global financial markets," said London Capital Group analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya. 'Suddenly a happy place?' The Vix volatility index, a benchmark for investor fear, declined after nine straight days of gains. But JJ Kinahan, chief market strategist at TD Ameritrade, suggested some investors had oversold, since uncertainty about the election result remains, despite stock gains. "It's hard to believe that without any results (except for early voting) the world's suddenly a happy place and there's no risk any more," Kinahan said. Clinton is considered by many investors to be a safer bet than Trump, who is seen as a loose cannon with policies many fear could wreck the world's top economy. The dollar rose sharply against the euro, the Yen and the Pound, as exchange markets shared in what investors viewed as positive news about the United States. The Mexican Peso -- which has taken on an inverse relationship with Trump's presidential prospects -- also staged a stunning rally against the dollar to recoup all its losses from last week. The currency is considered a reflection of Trump's chances because of his anti-Mexican rhetoric -- including his pledge to remove undocumented immigrants, build a border wall and tear up a trade deal. (AFP)

Clinton all-clear from FBI sends global stocks surging

FBI Director James Comey was under attack from some of his own agents and members of Congress on Monday over his handling of an inquiry into Hillary Clinton&#39;s emails, but the White House was remaining supportive, for now.

In stunning fashion, Comey has injected the Federal Bureau of Investigation, meant to be politically neutral, into the thick of the 2016 US&nbsp;presidential race, making a series of announcements on the inquiry.

The latest was on Sunday, when he said the FBI stood by a July decision not to recommend criminal charges against the Democratic presidential candidate. Sunday&#39;s announcement came days after Comey disclosed the FBI was examining a trove of newly discovered emails.

With the election coming on Tuesday, Comey&#39;s statements and the FBI&#39;s overall handling of the emails controversy has drawn fire from congressional Democrats, who criticised the agency for clouding Clinton&#39;s campaign so close to the election, while Republicans questioned why the new inquiry ended so quickly.

FBI &quot;field agents have felt the derivative impact of the criticism fired at Director Comey as a result of the Clinton email scandal,&quot; said Jon Adler, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation, which represents more than 3,500 FBI agents.

He said some agents disapprove of Comey&#39;s handling of the investigation and think he should resign, while others support him, but do not appreciate being in a political crossfire.

A spokesman for the FBI Agents Association said the more than 13,000 active and former special agents it represents have become the victims of &ldquo;unwarranted attacks&rdquo; on their integrity.

&quot;Implications that agents do not respect the confidentiality of those investigations is simply false,&quot; said the association&rsquo;s president Thomas O&rsquo;Connor.

Comey has so far kept the support of President Barack Obama, who has the power to fire the FBI director. &quot;The president views Director Comey as a man of integrity, a man of principle,&quot; White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in a briefing on Monday. &quot;The president&#39;s views of him have not changed ...he continues to have confidence in his ability to run the FBI.&quot;

The White House has said it will not criticise or defend Comey over his handling of the Clinton email investigation.

Charles Schumer, a close Clinton ally and expected Senate majority leader should Democrats regain control of the chamber, said on October&nbsp;30 that he was &ldquo;appalled at what Director Comey did&rdquo; and owes an explanation to Clinton and the American people.

FBI directors are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate to serve 10 years, unless they are fired or resign.

Only one FBI director in recent history has been fired. William Sessions was fired by President Bill Clinton in 1993 after a report emerged about Sessions using an FBI airplane for personal travel and other unethical practices. FBI Director Louis Freeh resigned in 2001, two years short of the end of his term, amid a scandal over Robert Hanssen, a senior FBI official charged with spying for the Soviet Union and Russia undetected for 15 years.

If Clinton wins the election, as polls suggest, she would also be in the position to fire Comey, but might not do so to avoid being portrayed as seeking political retaliation.

&quot;I don&rsquo;t know what her view will be, but ...you just cannot have an FBI director in place who believes he is accountable to neither the rules nor the attorney general,&rdquo; said Matthew Miller, former chief spokesman for the Obama Justice Department.

Under the federal Hatch Act, Justice Department employees may not engage in partisan political activity while on duty.

On Sunday, Democratic Representative Adam Schiff said Comey&#39;s &quot;original letter&quot; telling Congress that Clinton&#39;s emails were once again under investigation &quot;should never have been sent so close to an election&quot;.

Republican Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley called on the Justice Department&#39;s inspector general on Novemeber&nbsp;2 to examine the FBI&#39;s investigation.

(Reuters)

The FBI Director has drawn the Republican's ire for ending the Clinton email investigation so quickly, and Democrats' for starting it at all

FBI Director James Comey was under attack from some of his own agents and members of Congress on Monday over his handling of an inquiry into Hillary Clinton's emails, but the White House was remaining supportive, for now. In stunning fashion, Comey has injected the Federal Bureau of Investigation, meant to be politically neutral, into the thick of the 2016 US presidential race, making a series of announcements on the inquiry. The latest was on Sunday, when he said the FBI stood by a July decision not to recommend criminal charges against the Democratic presidential candidate. Sunday's announcement came days after Comey disclosed the FBI was examining a trove of newly discovered emails. With the election coming on Tuesday, Comey's statements and the FBI's overall handling of the emails controversy has drawn fire from congressional Democrats, who criticised the agency for clouding Clinton's campaign so close to the election, while Republicans questioned why the new inquiry ended so quickly. FBI "field agents have felt the derivative impact of the criticism fired at Director Comey as a result of the Clinton email scandal," said Jon Adler, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation, which represents more than 3,500 FBI agents. He said some agents disapprove of Comey's handling of the investigation and think he should resign, while others support him, but do not appreciate being in a political crossfire. A spokesman for the FBI Agents Association said the more than 13,000 active and former special agents it represents have become the victims of “unwarranted attacks” on their integrity. "Implications that agents do not respect the confidentiality of those investigations is simply false," said the association’s president Thomas O’Connor. Comey has so far kept the support of President Barack Obama, who has the power to fire the FBI director. "The president views Director Comey as a man of integrity, a man of principle," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in a briefing on Monday. "The president's views of him have not changed ...he continues to have confidence in his ability to run the FBI." The White House has said it will not criticise or defend Comey over his handling of the Clinton email investigation. Charles Schumer, a close Clinton ally and expected Senate majority leader should Democrats regain control of the chamber, said on October 30 that he was “appalled at what Director Comey did” and owes an explanation to Clinton and the American people. FBI directors are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate to serve 10 years, unless they are fired or resign. Only one FBI director in recent history has been fired. William Sessions was fired by President Bill Clinton in 1993 after a report emerged about Sessions using an FBI airplane for personal travel and other unethical practices. FBI Director Louis Freeh resigned in 2001, two years short of the end of his term, amid a scandal over Robert Hanssen, a senior FBI official charged with spying for the Soviet Union and Russia undetected for 15 years. If Clinton wins the election, as polls suggest, she would also be in the position to fire Comey, but might not do so to avoid being portrayed as seeking political retaliation. "I don’t know what her view will be, but ...you just cannot have an FBI director in place who believes he is accountable to neither the rules nor the attorney general,” said Matthew Miller, former chief spokesman for the Obama Justice Department. Under the federal Hatch Act, Justice Department employees may not engage in partisan political activity while on duty. On Sunday, Democratic Representative Adam Schiff said Comey's "original letter" telling Congress that Clinton's emails were once again under investigation "should never have been sent so close to an election". Republican Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley called on the Justice Department's inspector general on Novemeber 2 to examine the FBI's investigation. (Reuters)

FBI agents, lawmakers hammer Comey over Clinton emails inquiry

Indian shares rose about 1 per cent on Monday, snapping four sessions of losses, as Democrat Hillary Clinton&#39;s prospects improved in the US presidential race after federal investigators cleared her in their latest review.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)&nbsp;said on Sunday it stood by its earlier finding that no criminal charges were warranted against Clinton for using a private email server for government work.

Asian shares rose on optimism over Clinton&#39;s chances just two days ahead of the election. The MSCI&#39;s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan advanced 0.8 per cent.

Investors had been unnerved by signs of a tightening presidential race between Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump, whose stance on foreign policy, trade and immigration are seen as less predictable by financial markets.

&quot;It is basically a sentiment-driven market. Markets are perceiving that Clinton has now become a stronger candidate than Trump,&quot; said Saurabh Jain, assistant vice-president of research at SMC Global Securities.

The broader National Stock Exchange Nifty was up 1.05 per cent at 8,522.50 by 0551 GMT, while the benchmark Bombay Stock Exchange&nbsp;Sensex was 0.91 per cent higher at 27,522.10.

Financial and healthcare stocks were among the biggest percentage gainers on the NSE index after posting heavy losses last week.

The Nifty Bank index and the Nifty Pharma index rose as much as 1.4 per cent and 3.3 per cent, respectively, rebounding after four sessions of declines.

ICICI Bank Ltd &lt;ICBK.NS&gt;, which is set to report quarterly results later in the day, was up 2 per cent after falling 2.6 per cent last week.

Drugmaker Lupin Ltd &lt;LUPN.NS&gt; climbed as much as 8 per cent, after the company on Friday said the US&nbsp;FDA had cleared its Goa manufacturing plant for exports.

(Reuters)

Optimism over Clinton's chances rose as FBI said that no criminal charges were warranted against her for using private email server

Indian shares rose about 1 per cent on Monday, snapping four sessions of losses, as Democrat Hillary Clinton's prospects improved in the US presidential race after federal investigators cleared her in their latest review. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on Sunday it stood by its earlier finding that no criminal charges were warranted against Clinton for using a private email server for government work. Asian shares rose on optimism over Clinton's chances just two days ahead of the election. The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan advanced 0.8 per cent. Investors had been unnerved by signs of a tightening presidential race between Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump, whose stance on foreign policy, trade and immigration are seen as less predictable by financial markets. "It is basically a sentiment-driven market. Markets are perceiving that Clinton has now become a stronger candidate than Trump," said Saurabh Jain, assistant vice-president of research at SMC Global Securities. The broader National Stock Exchange Nifty was up 1.05 per cent at 8,522.50 by 0551 GMT, while the benchmark Bombay Stock Exchange Sensex was 0.91 per cent higher at 27,522.10. Financial and healthcare stocks were among the biggest percentage gainers on the NSE index after posting heavy losses last week. The Nifty Bank index and the Nifty Pharma index rose as much as 1.4 per cent and 3.3 per cent, respectively, rebounding after four sessions of declines. ICICI Bank Ltd <ICBK.NS>, which is set to report quarterly results later in the day, was up 2 per cent after falling 2.6 per cent last week. Drugmaker Lupin Ltd <LUPN.NS> climbed as much as 8 per cent, after the company on Friday said the US FDA had cleared its Goa manufacturing plant for exports. (Reuters)

India: Sensex rises as Clinton's chances brighten

The latest polls give Clinton a narrow national lead of between 3-5%

US stocks jumped about 1.5 per cent early Monday, joining a global rally after the FBI lifted the threat that Democratic White House candidate Hillary Clinton could face charges over her emails. One day before Americans vote on their next president, investors were bullish about preferred candidate Clinton's prospects to defeat Republican Donald Trump after FBI Director James Comey cleared her of wrongdoing over the weekend. About an hour into trading, the broad-based S&P 500 was up 1.7 per cent to 2,121.47, tentatively snapping a nine-day losing streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 1.5 per cent to 18,164.06, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index gained 2.0 percent to 5,146.08. The latest polls give Clinton a narrow national lead of between three and five percentage points, but rolling averages point to a closer race, with Trump up in some swing states. "Polls still show a fairly tight race, and with the Brexit surprise still fresh in participants' memory, there is a reluctance to take the polling information for granted," Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare said. Still, the Democrat appeared to have a much more plausible road to victory in the Electoral College. Other indications of the market's greater calm on Monday was a decline in the Vix volatility index, a benchmark of investor fear, and a rise in the dollar. "The dollar and riskier assets like stocks caught a bounce to begin Election Week, getting a fillip from the FBI which over the weekend said that Hillary Clinton shouldn't face criminal charges related to her email troubles," said Joe Manimbo, senior market analyst at Western Union Business solutions. "The Sunday letter from the director of the FBI to the Congress was seen helping Mrs Clinton's chances of clinching the election which gets under way tomorrow." Gains were broad-based, but especially strong sectors included financials, with JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs both climbing about 2.5 per cent, and pharmaceuticals, with Merck winning 1.4 per cent and Biogen 5.7 per cent. (AFP)

US stocks jump after FBI clears Hillary Clinton

Rudy Giuliani said on Friday that he knew&nbsp;the FBI planned to review more emails in connection with Hillary Clinton before FBI Director James Comey made a public&nbsp;announcement about the investigation last week,&nbsp;confirming&nbsp;that the agency leaked information to Donald Trump&#39;s presidential campaign.

&quot;Did I hear about it? Darn right I heard about it&quot;, he said.

Watch the clip below to hear Giuliani&#39;s admission:

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
WATCH: Rudy Giuliani admits that Trump campaign had advanced warning from the <a href="https://twitter.com/FBI">@FBI</a> about Comey&#39;s letter. <a href="https://t.co/7AOJopgQOB">pic.twitter.com/7AOJopgQOB</a>
&mdash; Correct The Record (@CorrectRecord) <a href="https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/794539625348038658">November 4, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The former mayor of New York City had recently dropped hints that he had advance knowledge that the FBI was going to look at emails potentially connected to Clinton&#39;s private server. The FBI had discovered more Clinton-related emails in a separate investigation targetting the former congressman Anthony Weiner for allegedly sexting a minor.

Giuliani said he felt Comey&#39;s annoucement was going to be made &quot;three or four weeks ago&quot;, meaning the FBI was sitting on this knowledge but, controversially, Comey decided to release it only 11 days before the election.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rudy-giuliani-fbi-clinton-emails_us_581c9e3fe4b0e80b02c93d6b">Huffington Posts</a> reports that for months Giuliani had bragged that &quot;outraged FBI agents&quot; told him that they&#39;re frustrated by the handling of the Clinton investigation. Just days before FBI Director James Comey announced that they would be reviewing newly uncovered&nbsp;emails, Giuliani said that Trump&#39;s campaign had a &quot;couple of surprises left&quot;.

A day before Comey&#39;s announcement about the investigation, Giuliani told&nbsp;Fox News,&nbsp;&quot;We got a couple things up our sleeve&nbsp;that should turn this around&quot;.

<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/10/28/politics/fbi-reviewing-new-emails-in-clinton-probe-director-tells-senate-judiciary-committee/">CNN&nbsp;</a>reports that Comey decided to make the announcement regarding Clinton&#39;s emails despite concerns from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) that doing so only 11 days before the US presidential&nbsp;election would affect the outcome. One source told CNN that it was contrary to department polices and procedure to comment so close to the November 8 election. While there was no direct contact between Comey and both Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates in the (DOJ), the disagreement was communicated to him via DOJ staff.&nbsp;

Comey decided to ignore this concern. This comes nearly four months after the FBI chief said he woudn&#39;t recommend criminal charges over Clinton&#39;s use of the private server for emails.

(WION)

'Did I hear about it? You're darn right I heard about it'

Rudy Giuliani said on Friday that he knew the FBI planned to review more emails in connection with Hillary Clinton before FBI Director James Comey made a public announcement about the investigation last week, confirming that the agency leaked information to Donald Trump's presidential campaign. "Did I hear about it? Darn right I heard about it", he said. Watch the clip below to hear Giuliani's admission: WATCH: Rudy Giuliani admits that Trump campaign had advanced warning from the @FBI about Comey's letter. pic.twitter.com/7AOJopgQOB — Correct The Record (@CorrectRecord) November 4, 2016 × The former mayor of New York City had recently dropped hints that he had advance knowledge that the FBI was going to look at emails potentially connected to Clinton's private server. The FBI had discovered more Clinton-related emails in a separate investigation targetting the former congressman Anthony Weiner for allegedly sexting a minor. Giuliani said he felt Comey's annoucement was going to be made "three or four weeks ago", meaning the FBI was sitting on this knowledge but, controversially, Comey decided to release it only 11 days before the election. Huffington Posts reports that for months Giuliani had bragged that "outraged FBI agents" told him that they're frustrated by the handling of the Clinton investigation. Just days before FBI Director James Comey announced that they would be reviewing newly uncovered emails, Giuliani said that Trump's campaign had a "couple of surprises left". A day before Comey's announcement about the investigation, Giuliani told Fox News, "We got a couple things up our sleeve that should turn this around". CNN reports that Comey decided to make the announcement regarding Clinton's emails despite concerns from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) that doing so only 11 days before the US presidential election would affect the outcome. One source told CNN that it was contrary to department polices and procedure to comment so close to the November 8 election. While there was no direct contact between Comey and both Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates in the (DOJ), the disagreement was communicated to him via DOJ staff. Comey decided to ignore this concern. This comes nearly four months after the FBI chief said he woudn't recommend criminal charges over Clinton's use of the private server for emails. (WION)

Rudy Giuliani confirms FBI leaked information to him, Trump campaign

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been investigating Donald Trump&rsquo;s former campaign manager&rsquo;s foreign business connections, NBC news reported.&nbsp;

Paul Manafort&nbsp;is being investigated for his alleged business ties with Russia and Ukraine, NBC news reported on Monday night. &nbsp;

In August, Politoco reported&nbsp;that Manafort&nbsp;resigned from&nbsp;the Trump campaign amid revelations of his&nbsp;work lobbying for pro-Russian Ukrainian&nbsp;oligarchs, which Politico&nbsp;was at odds with Trump&#39;s claim to be free of moneyed interests.

NBC news further reported that the inquiry is only preliminary and not a criminal investigation.

Manafort told NBC news, &ldquo;None of it is true. There&#39;s no investigation going on by the FBI that I&#39;m aware of.&quot;

&quot;This is all political propaganda, meant to deflect,&quot; he added.

In that August article, Politico&nbsp;reported&nbsp;that a source close to the Trump campaign said the Trump family was particularly troubled by reports that Manafort was involved with Russia, activities which he reportedly&nbsp;hadn&#39;t disclosed.

The same source added that the Trump family was also unhappy about changes made to the Republican platform that were seen as beneficial to Russia, in which they felt Manafort played a role.

The Manafort inquiry comes just days after FBI director James Comey announced a reopened investigation into Hillary Clinton&rsquo;s emails mere days before the November 8 election.&nbsp;

The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/31/james-comey-fbi-clinton-trump-email-investigation-russia-hack">Guardian reports</a> that the Clinton campaign has been especially vocal of late,&nbsp;blasting Comey&#39;s decision as a &quot;jaw-dropping&quot; double standard after claims emerged that he had sought to withhold evidence of Russian support for Donald Trump, out of fear that it could influence the outcome of the US election.

(WION)

Manafort, who denies all,?resigned from?the campaign in August?amid revelations of his?work lobbying for pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarchs

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been investigating Donald Trump’s former campaign manager’s foreign business connections, NBC news reported. Paul Manafort is being investigated for his alleged business ties with Russia and Ukraine, NBC news reported on Monday night. In August, Politoco reported that Manafort resigned from the Trump campaign amid revelations of his work lobbying for pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarchs, which Politico was at odds with Trump's claim to be free of moneyed interests. NBC news further reported that the inquiry is only preliminary and not a criminal investigation. Manafort told NBC news, “None of it is true. There's no investigation going on by the FBI that I'm aware of." "This is all political propaganda, meant to deflect," he added. In that August article, Politico reported that a source close to the Trump campaign said the Trump family was particularly troubled by reports that Manafort was involved with Russia, activities which he reportedly hadn't disclosed. The same source added that the Trump family was also unhappy about changes made to the Republican platform that were seen as beneficial to Russia, in which they felt Manafort played a role. The Manafort inquiry comes just days after FBI director James Comey announced a reopened investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails mere days before the November 8 election. The Guardian reports that the Clinton campaign has been especially vocal of late, blasting Comey's decision as a "jaw-dropping" double standard after claims emerged that he had sought to withhold evidence of Russian support for Donald Trump, out of fear that it could influence the outcome of the US election. (WION)

FBI investigating former Trump campaign manager's ties to Russia

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is mulling whether it should open an investigation into reports that the actor Brad Pitt abused his children. 
 
Media reports had stated that Pitt had begun yelling and &ldquo;getting physical&rdquo; with his children on a private jet. 
 
An investigation &ldquo;regarding allegations within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States&rdquo; has been opened, an FBI statement read. 
 
&ldquo;The FBI is gathering facts and will evaluate whether an investigation at the federal level will be pursued,&quot; it added. 
 
The Los Angeles Police Department&rsquo;s spokesperson, however, told AFP, &ldquo;We have no report in our record for any filings for Brad Pitt, we are not having any investigations regarding Brad Pitt.&rdquo; 
 
Pitt&rsquo;s alleged verbally and physically abusive behaviour toward his children is being reported to be the reason behind Angelina Jolie&rsquo;s decision to end their marriage. 
 
Jolie, 41, filed for divorce from Pitt, 52, on Monday citing irreconcilable differences and seeking custody of their six children. 
 
(WION with inputs from ANI)

Local media reported that Pitt had begun yelling and 'getting physical' with his children on a private jet

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is mulling whether it should open an investigation into reports that the actor Brad Pitt abused his children. Media reports had stated that Pitt had begun yelling and “getting physical” with his children on a private jet. An investigation “regarding allegations within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States” has been opened, an FBI statement read. “The FBI is gathering facts and will evaluate whether an investigation at the federal level will be pursued," it added. The Los Angeles Police Department’s spokesperson, however, told AFP, “We have no report in our record for any filings for Brad Pitt, we are not having any investigations regarding Brad Pitt.” Pitt’s alleged verbally and physically abusive behaviour toward his children is being reported to be the reason behind Angelina Jolie’s decision to end their marriage. Jolie, 41, filed for divorce from Pitt, 52, on Monday citing irreconcilable differences and seeking custody of their six children. (WION with inputs from ANI)

FBI mulls investigation against Brad Pitt for ?child abuse?

Senate minority leader Harry Reid asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate whether the Russian government may be attempting to &#39;interfere in the US presidential elections&#39; by tampering with voting results.&nbsp; 
 
Reid, in his letter to the FBI director James Comey on Monday, said,&quot;The prospect of a hostile government actively seeking to undermine our free and fair elections represents one of the gravest threats to our democracy since the Cold War.&quot; 
 
He also voiced concerns about possible Russian government efforts to manipulate Trump&#39;s campaign ahead of the November 8 election, and to use it as a vehicle to advance the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 
 
On Tuesday, four other Democrats wrote to Comey to investigate if the campaign officials working for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump coordinating with Russian interests to influence the electoral process.&nbsp; 
 
The letters come in the wake of repeated hacking attempts targeting US political databases.&nbsp; 
 
Kremlin officials have denied any involvement in penetrating the election system of the US. 
 
Hackers targeted voter registration databases in Illinois and Arizona on Monday. The FBI did not specify who might have been behind the assault.&nbsp; 
 
Comey, however, declined to give any details about FBI&#39;s probe but indicated that agency was closely watching what other countries were doing.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with input from Reuters)

The move comes following a spate of hacking attempts targeting US political databases

Senate minority leader Harry Reid asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate whether the Russian government may be attempting to 'interfere in the US presidential elections' by tampering with voting results. Reid, in his letter to the FBI director James Comey on Monday, said,"The prospect of a hostile government actively seeking to undermine our free and fair elections represents one of the gravest threats to our democracy since the Cold War." He also voiced concerns about possible Russian government efforts to manipulate Trump's campaign ahead of the November 8 election, and to use it as a vehicle to advance the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin. On Tuesday, four other Democrats wrote to Comey to investigate if the campaign officials working for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump coordinating with Russian interests to influence the electoral process. The letters come in the wake of repeated hacking attempts targeting US political databases. Kremlin officials have denied any involvement in penetrating the election system of the US. Hackers targeted voter registration databases in Illinois and Arizona on Monday. The FBI did not specify who might have been behind the assault. Comey, however, declined to give any details about FBI's probe but indicated that agency was closely watching what other countries were doing. (WION with input from Reuters)

Senate minority leader requests FBI probe into Russia 'tampering' with election results

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on Tuesday it had turned over to the US Congress a number of documents related to its probe into Hillary Clinton&#39;s use of a private email server while she was the secretary of state. 
 
The Democratic presidential nominee has for over a year been dogged by questions about her use of a private email account while she was the nation&#39;s top diplomat. 
 
Republicans have repeatedly hammered Clinton over the issue, helping to drive opinion poll results showing that many US voters doubt her trustworthiness. 
 
The FBI said it had provided &quot;relevant materials&quot; to congressional committees looking into the matter. 
 
&quot;The material contains classified and other sensitive information and is being provided with the expectation it will not be disseminated or disclosed without FBI concurrence,&quot; the agency said in a statement. 
 
The Clinton campaign criticised the delivery of the documents. 
 
&quot;This is an extraordinarily rare step that was sought solely by Republicans for the purposes of further second-guessing the career professionals at the FBI,&quot; Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said in a statement.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We believe that if these materials are going to be shared outside the Justice Department, they should be released widely so that the public can see them for themselves, rather than allow Republicans to mischaracterize them through selective, partisan leaks.&quot; 
 
A spokeswoman for the House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee said in an email that staff for the panel was reviewing the information classified as &quot;secret.&quot; 
 
&quot;There are no further details at this time,&quot; the aide said. 
 
Senate judiciary committee chairman Chuck Grassley, a Republican, said in a statement that an initial review of the material showed most of it was marked unclassified, and urged the FBI to make as much of it public as possible. 
 
FBI Director James Comey told Congress last month that Clinton`s handling of classified information while using private email servers was &quot;extremely careless.&quot; But he said he would not recommend criminal charges be brought against her. 
 
Comey&#39;s statement lifted a cloud of uncertainty from Clinton`s White House campaign. But his strong criticism of her judgment ignited a new attack on her by Republicans, including Donald Trump, her Republican opponent in the Nov. 8 election. 
 
`Not clear evidence&#39;&nbsp; 
 
The Oversight committee, chaired by Republican Representative Jason Chaffetz, had asked the FBI for the complete investigative file from its review of Clinton`s use of a private email server. 
 
The FBI has also provided documents from its investigation to the House Judiciary Committee, an aide said. 
 
Chaffetz and Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, also a Republican, last month urged federal prosecutors to investigate whether Clinton had committed perjury. 
 
They said some FBI findings about her email servers were at odds with her previous testimony to Congress about the matter, for example, her statement she had not sent or received information designated as classified. 
 
But the FBI, in a letter sent to the committee on Tuesday, said the fact that the agency had uncovered three instances in which Clinton had received emails containing &quot;(C)&quot; markings, which denote &quot;confidential&quot; information, was &quot;not clear evidence of knowledge or intent&quot; to mishandle such material. 
 
The letter, which accompanied the FBI`s investigative documents, noted relevant emails had been forwarded to Clinton by staff, lacked &quot;header and footer markings&quot; indicating the presence of classified information, and only one email was later determined by the State Department to contain classified information. 
 
Clinton`s fellow Democrats were scornful that Republicans were refusing to let the matter drop. 
 
&quot;The FBI already determined unanimously that there is insufficient evidence of criminal wrongdoing,&quot; said Representative Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the Oversight committee. &quot;Republicans are now investigating the investigator in a desperate attempt to resuscitate this issue, keep it in the headlines, and distract from Donald Trump`s sagging poll numbers.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

For over a year been, Clinton has been dogged by questions about her use of a private email account while she was the nation's top diplomat

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on Tuesday it had turned over to the US Congress a number of documents related to its probe into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was the secretary of state. The Democratic presidential nominee has for over a year been dogged by questions about her use of a private email account while she was the nation's top diplomat. Republicans have repeatedly hammered Clinton over the issue, helping to drive opinion poll results showing that many US voters doubt her trustworthiness. The FBI said it had provided "relevant materials" to congressional committees looking into the matter. "The material contains classified and other sensitive information and is being provided with the expectation it will not be disseminated or disclosed without FBI concurrence," the agency said in a statement. The Clinton campaign criticised the delivery of the documents. "This is an extraordinarily rare step that was sought solely by Republicans for the purposes of further second-guessing the career professionals at the FBI," Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said in a statement. "We believe that if these materials are going to be shared outside the Justice Department, they should be released widely so that the public can see them for themselves, rather than allow Republicans to mischaracterize them through selective, partisan leaks." A spokeswoman for the House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee said in an email that staff for the panel was reviewing the information classified as "secret." "There are no further details at this time," the aide said. Senate judiciary committee chairman Chuck Grassley, a Republican, said in a statement that an initial review of the material showed most of it was marked unclassified, and urged the FBI to make as much of it public as possible. FBI Director James Comey told Congress last month that Clinton`s handling of classified information while using private email servers was "extremely careless." But he said he would not recommend criminal charges be brought against her. Comey's statement lifted a cloud of uncertainty from Clinton`s White House campaign. But his strong criticism of her judgment ignited a new attack on her by Republicans, including Donald Trump, her Republican opponent in the Nov. 8 election. `Not clear evidence' The Oversight committee, chaired by Republican Representative Jason Chaffetz, had asked the FBI for the complete investigative file from its review of Clinton`s use of a private email server. The FBI has also provided documents from its investigation to the House Judiciary Committee, an aide said. Chaffetz and Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, also a Republican, last month urged federal prosecutors to investigate whether Clinton had committed perjury. They said some FBI findings about her email servers were at odds with her previous testimony to Congress about the matter, for example, her statement she had not sent or received information designated as classified. But the FBI, in a letter sent to the committee on Tuesday, said the fact that the agency had uncovered three instances in which Clinton had received emails containing "(C)" markings, which denote "confidential" information, was "not clear evidence of knowledge or intent" to mishandle such material. The letter, which accompanied the FBI`s investigative documents, noted relevant emails had been forwarded to Clinton by staff, lacked "header and footer markings" indicating the presence of classified information, and only one email was later determined by the State Department to contain classified information. Clinton`s fellow Democrats were scornful that Republicans were refusing to let the matter drop. "The FBI already determined unanimously that there is insufficient evidence of criminal wrongdoing," said Representative Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the Oversight committee. "Republicans are now investigating the investigator in a desperate attempt to resuscitate this issue, keep it in the headlines, and distract from Donald Trump`s sagging poll numbers." (Reuters)

FBI submits Hillary Clinton's email notes to Congress

A police officer for the US capital city&#39;s metro system was arrested Wednesday on charges that he tried to provide material support to the Islamic State jihadist group, prosecutors said. 
 
Nicholas Young, 36, had worked for Washington&#39;s Metro Transit Police Department since 2003, the Department of Justice said in a statement. He communicated for years with undercover agents and a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant, discussing his knowledge and interest in terror activities, prosecutors said. 
 
&quot;Metro Transit Police alerted the FBI about this individual and then worked with our federal partners throughout the investigation up to and including today&#39;s arrest,&quot; Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority General Manager and CEO Paul Wiedefeld said. 
 
&quot;Obviously, the allegations in this case are profoundly disturbing. They&#39;re disturbing to me, and they&#39;re disturbing to everyone who wears the uniform,&quot; he said in a statement. Young met about 20 times in 2014 with the FBI informant who was posing as a US military reservist of Middle Eastern descent who wanted to join the Islamic State group, the Justice Department said. 
 
Young allegedly gave the man advice on travel to avoid detection by law enforcement, and also told him to watch out for informants. In June 2015, Young emailed undercover FBI agents asking for advice on how to send money to the IS group, prosecutors said. Last month, he sent an undercover agent $245 in gift cards to charge mobile messaging accounts that the Islamic State group uses in its recruiting efforts. Metro officials did not say what tipped them off to Young. 
 
He was fired from his job immediately upon his arrest, the agency said.&nbsp; 
 
&#39;Crowd-sourced terror&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Young had been on law enforcement&#39;s radar since 2010, when an acquaintance was arrested on charges of trying to provide material support to a terror group. The acquaintance ultimately pleaded guilty to the charge. According to the Justice Department, Young traveled to Libya in 2011 and tried to go a second time. Baggage searches at the time found that Young was traveling with military equipment such as body armor. He told authorities he had been with rebels attempting to overthrow dictator Moamer Kadhafi. That same year, Young met several times with an undercover agent while accompanied by Amine El Khalifi, an acquaintance. 
 
El Khalifi later pleaded guilty to charges related to his plan to carry out a suicide bomb attack on the US Capitol Building. If convicted, Young faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The White House is &quot;mindful of the risk that is posed by homegrown extremists,&quot; spokesman Josh Earnest said. 
 
Senator Ben Sasse, a Republican on the Homeland Security Committee, hailed the work of the FBI in apprehending Young. 
 
&quot;This is a sobering reminder of the vigilance required to combat crowd-sourced terror. Our enemies&#39; old, top-down strategy no longer defines our threats,&quot; he said. &quot;The intelligence community does not exclusively hunt card-carrying members of ISIS and al-Qaeda. Our challenge is greater and today the FBI has met it forcefully.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Young had communicated with FBI informants about his interest in terror activities, and had tried to provide material support to the IS

A police officer for the US capital city's metro system was arrested Wednesday on charges that he tried to provide material support to the Islamic State jihadist group, prosecutors said. Nicholas Young, 36, had worked for Washington's Metro Transit Police Department since 2003, the Department of Justice said in a statement. He communicated for years with undercover agents and a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant, discussing his knowledge and interest in terror activities, prosecutors said. "Metro Transit Police alerted the FBI about this individual and then worked with our federal partners throughout the investigation up to and including today's arrest," Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority General Manager and CEO Paul Wiedefeld said. "Obviously, the allegations in this case are profoundly disturbing. They're disturbing to me, and they're disturbing to everyone who wears the uniform," he said in a statement. Young met about 20 times in 2014 with the FBI informant who was posing as a US military reservist of Middle Eastern descent who wanted to join the Islamic State group, the Justice Department said. Young allegedly gave the man advice on travel to avoid detection by law enforcement, and also told him to watch out for informants. In June 2015, Young emailed undercover FBI agents asking for advice on how to send money to the IS group, prosecutors said. Last month, he sent an undercover agent $245 in gift cards to charge mobile messaging accounts that the Islamic State group uses in its recruiting efforts. Metro officials did not say what tipped them off to Young. He was fired from his job immediately upon his arrest, the agency said. 'Crowd-sourced terror' Young had been on law enforcement's radar since 2010, when an acquaintance was arrested on charges of trying to provide material support to a terror group. The acquaintance ultimately pleaded guilty to the charge. According to the Justice Department, Young traveled to Libya in 2011 and tried to go a second time. Baggage searches at the time found that Young was traveling with military equipment such as body armor. He told authorities he had been with rebels attempting to overthrow dictator Moamer Kadhafi. That same year, Young met several times with an undercover agent while accompanied by Amine El Khalifi, an acquaintance. El Khalifi later pleaded guilty to charges related to his plan to carry out a suicide bomb attack on the US Capitol Building. If convicted, Young faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The White House is "mindful of the risk that is posed by homegrown extremists," spokesman Josh Earnest said. Senator Ben Sasse, a Republican on the Homeland Security Committee, hailed the work of the FBI in apprehending Young. "This is a sobering reminder of the vigilance required to combat crowd-sourced terror. Our enemies' old, top-down strategy no longer defines our threats," he said. "The intelligence community does not exclusively hunt card-carrying members of ISIS and al-Qaeda. Our challenge is greater and today the FBI has met it forcefully." (AFP)

US capital transit policeman arrested on terror charge

A 46-year-old FBI electronics technician pled guilty in New York on Monday to acting as an agent of China and passing along sensitive information to a Chinese government official. 
 
Kun Shan Chun, also known as Joey Chun, faces up to 10 years behind bars when sentenced by a federal judge on December 2, US prosecutors said. 
 
Information that he disclosed included the identity and potential travel patterns of an FBI agent, information about the internal structure of the bureau and surveillance technologies used by the FBI, US officials said. 
 
Kun Shan Chun, who was born in China and became a naturalized US citizen after moving to America, pled guilty to one count in court on Monday. 
 
Manhattan`s top prosecutor, Preet Bharara, said the crime &quot;betrays our nation and threatens our security.&quot; 
 
&quot;When the perpetrator is an FBI employee, like Kun Shan Chun, the threat is all the more serious and the betrayal all the more duplicitous,&quot; he said. 
 
He was arrested in March, having worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation for nine years and getting top secret security clearance in 1998. 
 
He confessed to collecting sensitive information and allowing it to be passed onto a Chinese official in exchange for financial reward and concealing that relationship from the FBI. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Kun Shan Chun had worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation for nine years, getting top secret security clearance in 1998

A 46-year-old FBI electronics technician pled guilty in New York on Monday to acting as an agent of China and passing along sensitive information to a Chinese government official. Kun Shan Chun, also known as Joey Chun, faces up to 10 years behind bars when sentenced by a federal judge on December 2, US prosecutors said. Information that he disclosed included the identity and potential travel patterns of an FBI agent, information about the internal structure of the bureau and surveillance technologies used by the FBI, US officials said. Kun Shan Chun, who was born in China and became a naturalized US citizen after moving to America, pled guilty to one count in court on Monday. Manhattan`s top prosecutor, Preet Bharara, said the crime "betrays our nation and threatens our security." "When the perpetrator is an FBI employee, like Kun Shan Chun, the threat is all the more serious and the betrayal all the more duplicitous," he said. He was arrested in March, having worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation for nine years and getting top secret security clearance in 1998. He confessed to collecting sensitive information and allowing it to be passed onto a Chinese official in exchange for financial reward and concealing that relationship from the FBI. (AFP)

FBI technician pleads guilty to acting as Chinese agent

Hillary Clinton disputed a scathing assessment by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that she was &quot;extremely careless&quot; with classified government secrets, saying on Friday she relied on the judgment of her subordinates at the US state department. 
 
After maintaining for more than a year that she did not send or receive classified information through her unauthorised private email system, she acknowledged in a string of interviews on Friday she may have at least unwittingly done so, three days after the FBI concluded this happened at least 110 times. 
 
Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said she &quot;certainly did not believe&quot; that she was handling classified information on her email system at the time, but emphasised that she followed the lead of her subordinates on whether information was classified. 
 
&quot;I did not have a basis for second-guessing their conclusion,&quot; Clinton said in an interview with CNN, saying she had the &quot;highest regard&quot; for her former colleagues. 
 
&quot;These are experienced diplomats, they have expertise in handling classified material,&quot; she said in a separate interview with PBS Newshour. &quot;They were not careless and the material that they sent, they did not believe that was classified.&quot; 
 
Clinton, who was the department&#39;s most senior classifying authority during her four-year tenure at its helm, did not address the FBI&#39;s conclusion that she herself sent information on topics classified as &quot;top secret&quot;, the highest level, through a private server she kept in her basement. 
 
&quot;I have said, and I repeated, that it was a mistake to use personal email and I regret that,&quot; she said in another interview with ABC. 
 
It is a crime to mishandle classified information, and while FBI Director James Comey said on Tuesday there was evidence Clinton or her aides may have broken these laws, there was not enough evidence of criminal intent for a prosecution. 
 
In an unusual 15-minute announcement explaining the FBI&#39;s findings, Comey ended up dismaying both Republicans and Democrats. 
 
While Clinton&#39;s Republican opponents have fumed at the decision not to file criminal charges, Clinton and her staff have disputed some of Comey&#39;s criticisms that undermine her argument that she has better judgment than Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate. 
 
Comey called her and her staff &quot;extremely careless&quot; and said that any &quot;reasonable&quot; government employee should have recognised that such information should not be aired in emails. Her server was so poorly secured the FBI could not eliminate the possibility it had not been hacked by the country&#39;s enemies, Comey said. 
 
Asked if she agreed that she was &quot;extremely careless&quot;, Clinton told CNN she was not, adding that Comey had &quot;clarified&quot; his remarks. It was unclear what clarification Clinton meant. 
 
In lengthier comments before lawmakers on Thursday, Comey again spoke of Clinton&#39;s and her staff&#39;s carelessness and &quot;real sloppiness&quot;, adding that it seemed she was not &quot;particularly sophisticated with respect to classified information&quot;. 
 
(Reuters)

Presidential candidate was called 'careless', and 'not particularly sophisticated with respect to classified information'

Hillary Clinton disputed a scathing assessment by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that she was "extremely careless" with classified government secrets, saying on Friday she relied on the judgment of her subordinates at the US state department. After maintaining for more than a year that she did not send or receive classified information through her unauthorised private email system, she acknowledged in a string of interviews on Friday she may have at least unwittingly done so, three days after the FBI concluded this happened at least 110 times. Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said she "certainly did not believe" that she was handling classified information on her email system at the time, but emphasised that she followed the lead of her subordinates on whether information was classified. "I did not have a basis for second-guessing their conclusion," Clinton said in an interview with CNN, saying she had the "highest regard" for her former colleagues. "These are experienced diplomats, they have expertise in handling classified material," she said in a separate interview with PBS Newshour. "They were not careless and the material that they sent, they did not believe that was classified." Clinton, who was the department's most senior classifying authority during her four-year tenure at its helm, did not address the FBI's conclusion that she herself sent information on topics classified as "top secret", the highest level, through a private server she kept in her basement. "I have said, and I repeated, that it was a mistake to use personal email and I regret that," she said in another interview with ABC. It is a crime to mishandle classified information, and while FBI Director James Comey said on Tuesday there was evidence Clinton or her aides may have broken these laws, there was not enough evidence of criminal intent for a prosecution. In an unusual 15-minute announcement explaining the FBI's findings, Comey ended up dismaying both Republicans and Democrats. While Clinton's Republican opponents have fumed at the decision not to file criminal charges, Clinton and her staff have disputed some of Comey's criticisms that undermine her argument that she has better judgment than Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate. Comey called her and her staff "extremely careless" and said that any "reasonable" government employee should have recognised that such information should not be aired in emails. Her server was so poorly secured the FBI could not eliminate the possibility it had not been hacked by the country's enemies, Comey said. Asked if she agreed that she was "extremely careless", Clinton told CNN she was not, adding that Comey had "clarified" his remarks. It was unclear what clarification Clinton meant. In lengthier comments before lawmakers on Thursday, Comey again spoke of Clinton's and her staff's carelessness and "real sloppiness", adding that it seemed she was not "particularly sophisticated with respect to classified information". (Reuters)

Clinton disputes scathing FBI assessment

The US State Department will restart its investigation into Hillary Clinton&#39;s handling of classified material as Secretary of State. Earlier this week, the FBI said that Democratic Presidential nominee Clinton will not face criminal charges over her use of private email. 
 
The FBI said that although she had sent and received sensitive material there was no evidence of intent. Now that the inquiry is over, the State Department will reopen its review. 
 
State Department spokesperson John Kirby said the department will aim to be as expeditious as possible. He said former officials can still face administrative sanctions.&nbsp; 
 
(ANI)&nbsp;

State Department spokesperson John Kirby said the department will aim to be as expeditious as possible

The US State Department will restart its investigation into Hillary Clinton's handling of classified material as Secretary of State. Earlier this week, the FBI said that Democratic Presidential nominee Clinton will not face criminal charges over her use of private email. The FBI said that although she had sent and received sensitive material there was no evidence of intent. Now that the inquiry is over, the State Department will reopen its review. State Department spokesperson John Kirby said the department will aim to be as expeditious as possible. He said former officials can still face administrative sanctions. (ANI)

US State Department restarts Hillary Clinton email probe

The top elected US Republican formally asked the country&#39;s intelligence chief not to give Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton any classified information during the election campaign, according to a letter released today. 
 
House of Representatives speaker Paul Ryan said in the letter to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper that denying Clinton classified briefings during her run for the presidency would be an appropriate sanction for her improper handling of classified emails while secretary of state. 
 
Presidential candidates normally get access to classified information once they are formally nominated. 
 
The issue of Clinton&#39;s use of private email servers during her tenure as secretary of state has cast a cloud over her presidential campaign for the Nov. 8 election, raised questions among voters about her trustworthiness and given presidential rival Donald Trump an avenue of attack. 
 
Ryan&#39;s letter comes as congressional Republicans will get their first chance to grill FBI Director James Comey when he goes to Capitol Hill today to explain his decision not to recommend criminal charges against Clinton after a year-long investigation of her handling of classified emails while at state. 
 
Comey&#39;s testimony before the House Oversight Committee at 10 a.m. (1400 GMT) will be the first time he has taken questions publicly since his announcement this week that the FBI was not recommending charges against Clinton. US Attorney General Loretta Lynch has accepted the FBI recommendation and will appear at a separate hearing next Tuesday. 
 
Comey said on Tuesday that 110 classified emails passed through Clinton&#39;s servers, which were not kept on a secure government server. He rebuked the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee for &quot;extremely careless&quot; handling of classified information but said no reasonable prosecutor would charge her or her staff criminally. 
 
The Clinton campaign said it was pleased at the FBI&#39;s announcement and called the Republican-led call for Comey&#39;s hearing a &quot;taxpayer-funded sham of an inquiry&quot; intended to hurt Clinton politically. 
 
The Oversight Committee is chaired by Republican U.S. Representative Jason Chaffetz, known for his persistent questioning of Obama administration officials. 
 
Reputation for Independence 
 
Comey, a Republican who was appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama and also served in the administration of former Republican President George W. Bush, has built a reputation as a straight shooter who does not bend to pressure from either party. 
 
He has differed sharply with the Obama administration, most recently over gun control and whether high-profile police brutality cases had inhibited law enforcement from stopping crime. 
 
Questions about the propriety of Clinton&#39;s use of unauthorized email servers in her Chappaqua, New York, home during her time as secretary of state from January 2009 until February 2013 have raised questions about her judgment from all sides of the political spectrum. 
 
Despite clinching the Democratic presidential nomination, Clinton can expect a further onslaught of attacks from Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, who has accused her of playing by a different set of rules from the American public. 
 
&quot;Hillary Clinton can&#39;t keep her emails safe, and you know what, folks, she sure as hell can&#39;t keep our country safe,&quot; Trump told a recent rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, charging that the investigation was &quot;rigged&quot; in Clinton&#39;s favor. 
 
Comey left the door open for other actions in the case, including downgrading security clearances for anyone who mishandles classified information as Clinton and her staff did. 
 
(Reuters)

Ryan said denying Hillary Clinton classified briefings would be an appropriate sanction for her improper handling of classified email

The top elected US Republican formally asked the country's intelligence chief not to give Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton any classified information during the election campaign, according to a letter released today. House of Representatives speaker Paul Ryan said in the letter to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper that denying Clinton classified briefings during her run for the presidency would be an appropriate sanction for her improper handling of classified emails while secretary of state. Presidential candidates normally get access to classified information once they are formally nominated. The issue of Clinton's use of private email servers during her tenure as secretary of state has cast a cloud over her presidential campaign for the Nov. 8 election, raised questions among voters about her trustworthiness and given presidential rival Donald Trump an avenue of attack. Ryan's letter comes as congressional Republicans will get their first chance to grill FBI Director James Comey when he goes to Capitol Hill today to explain his decision not to recommend criminal charges against Clinton after a year-long investigation of her handling of classified emails while at state. Comey's testimony before the House Oversight Committee at 10 a.m. (1400 GMT) will be the first time he has taken questions publicly since his announcement this week that the FBI was not recommending charges against Clinton. US Attorney General Loretta Lynch has accepted the FBI recommendation and will appear at a separate hearing next Tuesday. Comey said on Tuesday that 110 classified emails passed through Clinton's servers, which were not kept on a secure government server. He rebuked the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee for "extremely careless" handling of classified information but said no reasonable prosecutor would charge her or her staff criminally. The Clinton campaign said it was pleased at the FBI's announcement and called the Republican-led call for Comey's hearing a "taxpayer-funded sham of an inquiry" intended to hurt Clinton politically. The Oversight Committee is chaired by Republican U.S. Representative Jason Chaffetz, known for his persistent questioning of Obama administration officials. Reputation for Independence Comey, a Republican who was appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama and also served in the administration of former Republican President George W. Bush, has built a reputation as a straight shooter who does not bend to pressure from either party. He has differed sharply with the Obama administration, most recently over gun control and whether high-profile police brutality cases had inhibited law enforcement from stopping crime. Questions about the propriety of Clinton's use of unauthorized email servers in her Chappaqua, New York, home during her time as secretary of state from January 2009 until February 2013 have raised questions about her judgment from all sides of the political spectrum. Despite clinching the Democratic presidential nomination, Clinton can expect a further onslaught of attacks from Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, who has accused her of playing by a different set of rules from the American public. "Hillary Clinton can't keep her emails safe, and you know what, folks, she sure as hell can't keep our country safe," Trump told a recent rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, charging that the investigation was "rigged" in Clinton's favor. Comey left the door open for other actions in the case, including downgrading security clearances for anyone who mishandles classified information as Clinton and her staff did. (Reuters)

Speaker Paul Ryan formally asks that Clinton be denied classified data

The FBI will recommend to the Justice Department that no prosecution is warranted as a result of its year-long investigation into Hillary&nbsp;Clinton&#39;s use of a private email server while secretary of state, agency Director James Comey said today.

Comey said the probe found there was evidence of extremely careless handling of emails by Clinton, now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, and that at least 110 emails contained classified information at the time they were sent.

But he said the FBI&#39;s judgment was that &quot;no reasonable prosecutor&quot; would bring charges against&nbsp;Clinton, who had a voluntary 3-1/2-hour interview with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Saturday in Washington.

&quot;We cannot find a case that would support bringing criminal charges on these facts,&quot; Comey told reporters in Washington.

The FBI has been investigating whether&nbsp;Clinton&nbsp;broke the law as result of a personal email server kept in her Chappaqua, New York, home while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. One of the questions is whether she mishandled classified information on the server.

The investigation has dogged&nbsp;Clinton&#39;s campaign for the past year, as she and her staff struggled to respond to accusations that her use of the server in violation of State Department protocol indicated she was untrustworthy and considered herself above the law.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said the investigation should disqualify Clinton&nbsp;from being president. 
 
(Reuters)

The bureau found evidence of extremely careless handing of emails but said 'no reasonable prosecutor' would bring charges against her

The FBI will recommend to the Justice Department that no prosecution is warranted as a result of its year-long investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of state, agency Director James Comey said today. Comey said the probe found there was evidence of extremely careless handling of emails by Clinton, now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, and that at least 110 emails contained classified information at the time they were sent. But he said the FBI's judgment was that "no reasonable prosecutor" would bring charges against Clinton, who had a voluntary 3-1/2-hour interview with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Saturday in Washington. "We cannot find a case that would support bringing criminal charges on these facts," Comey told reporters in Washington. The FBI has been investigating whether Clinton broke the law as result of a personal email server kept in her Chappaqua, New York, home while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. One of the questions is whether she mishandled classified information on the server. The investigation has dogged Clinton's campaign for the past year, as she and her staff struggled to respond to accusations that her use of the server in violation of State Department protocol indicated she was untrustworthy and considered herself above the law. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said the investigation should disqualify Clinton from being president. (Reuters)

Prosecution of Clinton not warranted in email case, FBI to tell Justice Department

US attorney general Loretta Lynch, seeking to tamp down a firestorm over her meeting with former President Bill Clinton, said on Friday she will accept the recommendations of career prosecutors and the FBI director on whether to charge Hillary Clinton for mishandling emails. 
 
The United States&#39; top law enforcement officer, however, stopped short of saying she would recuse herself from the investigation of the Democratic presidential candidate. 
 
&quot;I will be informed of those findings, as opposed to never reading them or never seeing them, but I will be accepting their recommendations and their plan for going forward,&quot; Lynch said. 
 
She was responding to questions from a Washington Post journalist who was introducing a talk by Lynch at the Aspen Ideas Festival, a gathering of government, technology and other business leaders in Aspen, Colorado. 
 
Republicans, including presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, have said a political appointee like Lynch should not be involved in the email investigation and that the Monday night meeting with Bill Clinton shows Lynch is too close to the Clintons. 
 
With a regretful tone, Lynch said on Friday she would not privately meet with Bill Clinton again and that she understood how the meeting &quot;casts a shadow&quot; over the perception of the Justice Department&#39;s probe into Hillary Clinton&#39;s email use. 
 
The attorney general said she has received many questions about her role in the investigation and &quot;whether someone who was a political appointee would be involved in deciding how to investigate.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Republican lawmakers have called for an independent investigation of Hillary Clinton&#39;s use of a private email server while secretary of state, saying the Obama administration&#39;s justice department could not be free of bias.&nbsp; 
 
In Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told a daily news briefing that the investigation is being handled independently of the White House and President Barack Obama. 
 
Lynch was appointed by the Democratic president and sworn in on April 1, 2015, well after Hillary Clinton left Obama&#39;s Cabinet in 2013. 
 
Career prosecutors are not appointed by a president and may serve through different administrations. The FBI director is appointed by the president but is not part of his Cabinet and is considered apolitical.&nbsp; 
 
Lynch said on Friday that she had already decided to accept whatever recommendations prosecutors presented her before her meeting with Bill Clinton.&nbsp; 
 
The private meeting with the former president took place on Lynch&#39;s plane after she landed in Phoenix on Monday night. Bill Clinton was leaving the airport after a rally for his wife earlier that day. 
 
Lynch told reporters earlier this week that she did not discuss the email probe or other matters pending before the justice department with Bill Clinton, calling their meeting &quot;primarily social.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
The FBI is investigating Hillary Clinton&#39;s email use and whether laws were broken as a result of a personal email server kept in her Chappaqua, New York, home while she was secretary of state, an issue that has overshadowed her campaign. 
 
She apologized last year for using the server, saying that while she did nothing wrong, she should have used two email accounts: one for state department business and another for personal matters. 
 
Representatives for her campaign could not be reached immediately for comment on Friday.&nbsp; 
 
Trump on Thursday called Lynch&#39;s meeting &quot;a sneak&quot; and questioned the judgement of both Bill Clinton and the attorney general. 
 
In a tweet on Friday, the wealthy businessman said the meeting showed the US political system was &quot;totally rigged&quot; and that Hillary Clinton had bad judgment.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Bill&#39;s meeting was probably initiated and demanded by Hillary!&quot; Trump said on Twitter. 
 
The justice department, along with the White House, has said the probe should be free of political interference. 
 
(Reuters)

Loretta Lynch has faced questions over her private meeting with former president Bill Clinton which took place in Phoenix on Monday night

US attorney general Loretta Lynch, seeking to tamp down a firestorm over her meeting with former President Bill Clinton, said on Friday she will accept the recommendations of career prosecutors and the FBI director on whether to charge Hillary Clinton for mishandling emails. The United States' top law enforcement officer, however, stopped short of saying she would recuse herself from the investigation of the Democratic presidential candidate. "I will be informed of those findings, as opposed to never reading them or never seeing them, but I will be accepting their recommendations and their plan for going forward," Lynch said. She was responding to questions from a Washington Post journalist who was introducing a talk by Lynch at the Aspen Ideas Festival, a gathering of government, technology and other business leaders in Aspen, Colorado. Republicans, including presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, have said a political appointee like Lynch should not be involved in the email investigation and that the Monday night meeting with Bill Clinton shows Lynch is too close to the Clintons. With a regretful tone, Lynch said on Friday she would not privately meet with Bill Clinton again and that she understood how the meeting "casts a shadow" over the perception of the Justice Department's probe into Hillary Clinton's email use. The attorney general said she has received many questions about her role in the investigation and "whether someone who was a political appointee would be involved in deciding how to investigate." Republican lawmakers have called for an independent investigation of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of state, saying the Obama administration's justice department could not be free of bias. In Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told a daily news briefing that the investigation is being handled independently of the White House and President Barack Obama. Lynch was appointed by the Democratic president and sworn in on April 1, 2015, well after Hillary Clinton left Obama's Cabinet in 2013. Career prosecutors are not appointed by a president and may serve through different administrations. The FBI director is appointed by the president but is not part of his Cabinet and is considered apolitical. Lynch said on Friday that she had already decided to accept whatever recommendations prosecutors presented her before her meeting with Bill Clinton. The private meeting with the former president took place on Lynch's plane after she landed in Phoenix on Monday night. Bill Clinton was leaving the airport after a rally for his wife earlier that day. Lynch told reporters earlier this week that she did not discuss the email probe or other matters pending before the justice department with Bill Clinton, calling their meeting "primarily social." The FBI is investigating Hillary Clinton's email use and whether laws were broken as a result of a personal email server kept in her Chappaqua, New York, home while she was secretary of state, an issue that has overshadowed her campaign. She apologized last year for using the server, saying that while she did nothing wrong, she should have used two email accounts: one for state department business and another for personal matters. Representatives for her campaign could not be reached immediately for comment on Friday. Trump on Thursday called Lynch's meeting "a sneak" and questioned the judgement of both Bill Clinton and the attorney general. In a tweet on Friday, the wealthy businessman said the meeting showed the US political system was "totally rigged" and that Hillary Clinton had bad judgment. "Bill's meeting was probably initiated and demanded by Hillary!" Trump said on Twitter. The justice department, along with the White House, has said the probe should be free of political interference. (Reuters)

US attorney general to accept FBI findings in Clinton email probe

The FBI quizzed Democratic White House hopeful Hillary Clinton on Saturday about her use of personal email while serving as secretary of state, a campaign spokesman said. 
 
Questions over Clinton`s use of a private account and homebrew server during her time as America&#39;s top diplomat have dogged her presidential campaign for more than a year, and fueled voter concerns that she is not trustworthy. 
 
An aide said the interview at FBI headquarters in Washington lasted about 3.5 hours. 
 
&quot;Secretary Clinton gave a voluntary interview this morning about her email arrangements while she was secretary,&quot; spokesman Nick Merrill said in a statement.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;She is pleased to have had the opportunity to assist the Department of Justice in bringing this review to a conclusion. Out of respect for the investigative process, she will not comment further on her interview.&quot; 
 
Clinton, aiming to become the nation&#39;s first female commander-in-chief, has apologized for exclusively using a private email account and her own server during her time as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. 
 
Opponents argue that this breached rules about protecting classified documents from cyber attack and may have amounted to a crime. 
 
The FBI interview came amid revelations that US Attorney General Loretta Lynch held an impromptu meeting with Clinton`s husband, former president Bill Clinton, at the airport in Phoenix, Arizona this week. 
 
The exchange touched off a political firestorm. 
 
On Friday, Lynch vowed to respect the decisions of the FBI and the prosecutors on whether to charge Hillary Clinton. 
 
The top US law enforcement official admitted that the private encounter with Bill Clinton had &quot;cast a shadow&quot; over the investigation into the emails in the runup to the November general election. 
 
But Lynch insisted that she, as a political appointee, will not overrule investigators or otherwise interfere in the legal process regarding the probe, and that the integrity of the Justice Department will be upheld. 
 
(AFP)

According to a spokesman Clinton gave a 'voluntary interview' to FBI over her use of personal email while she was secretary

The FBI quizzed Democratic White House hopeful Hillary Clinton on Saturday about her use of personal email while serving as secretary of state, a campaign spokesman said. Questions over Clinton`s use of a private account and homebrew server during her time as America's top diplomat have dogged her presidential campaign for more than a year, and fueled voter concerns that she is not trustworthy. An aide said the interview at FBI headquarters in Washington lasted about 3.5 hours. "Secretary Clinton gave a voluntary interview this morning about her email arrangements while she was secretary," spokesman Nick Merrill said in a statement. "She is pleased to have had the opportunity to assist the Department of Justice in bringing this review to a conclusion. Out of respect for the investigative process, she will not comment further on her interview." Clinton, aiming to become the nation's first female commander-in-chief, has apologized for exclusively using a private email account and her own server during her time as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. Opponents argue that this breached rules about protecting classified documents from cyber attack and may have amounted to a crime. The FBI interview came amid revelations that US Attorney General Loretta Lynch held an impromptu meeting with Clinton`s husband, former president Bill Clinton, at the airport in Phoenix, Arizona this week. The exchange touched off a political firestorm. On Friday, Lynch vowed to respect the decisions of the FBI and the prosecutors on whether to charge Hillary Clinton. The top US law enforcement official admitted that the private encounter with Bill Clinton had "cast a shadow" over the investigation into the emails in the runup to the November general election. But Lynch insisted that she, as a political appointee, will not overrule investigators or otherwise interfere in the legal process regarding the probe, and that the integrity of the Justice Department will be upheld. (AFP)

Hillary Clinton quizzed by FBI

The wife of the gunman who killed 49 people at an Orlando gay nightclub knew of his plans for the attack and could soon be charged in connection with the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history, a law enforcement source said today. 
 
The source told Reuters that a federal grand jury had been convened and could charge Omar Mateen&#39;s wife, Noor Salman, by today. 
 
&quot;It appears she had some knowledge of what was going on,&quot;&nbsp;said US Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which received a briefing on the attack on Tuesday. 
 
&quot;She definitely is, I guess you would say, a person of interest right now and appears to be cooperating and can provide us with some important information,&quot; King told CNN. 
 
Mateen, who was shot dead by police after a three-hour standoff at the Pulse club early on Sunday, called 911 during his rampage to profess allegiance to various militant Islamist groups. 
 
Federal investigators have said he was likely self-radicalised and there was no evidence that he received any instruction or aid from outside groups such as Islamic State. Mateen, 29, was a US citizen, born in New York of Afghan immigrant parents. 
 
&quot;He appears to have been an angry, disturbed, unstable young man who became radicalised,&quot; President Barack Obama told reporters after a meeting of the White House National Security Council. 
 
During his rampage, Mateen systematically made his way through the packed club shooting people who were already down, apparently to ensure they were dead, said Angel Colon, a wounded survivor. 
 
&quot;I look over and he shoots the girl next to me and I was just there laying down and thinking: &#39;I&#39;m next, I&#39;m dead,&#39;&quot; he said. 
 
Mateen shot him twice more, one bullet apparently aimed for Colon&#39;s head striking his hand, and another hitting his hip, Colon said at Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he is one of 27 survivors being treated 
 
FoxNews.com, citing an FBI source, said prosecutors were seeking to charge Mateen&#39;s wife, Salman, as an accessory to 49 counts of murder and 53 counts of attempted murder and failure to notify law enforcement about the pending attack and lying to federal agents. 
 
NBC News said Salman told federal agents she tried to talk her husband out of carrying out the attack. But she also told the FBI she once drove him to the Pulse nightclub because he wanted to scope it out, the network said. 
 
A former wife of Mateen, who was a security guard, has said he was mentally unstable and beat her. The ex-spouse, Sitora Yusufiy, said she fled their home after four months of marriage. 
 
He also claimed solidarity with the ethnic Chechen brothers who carried out the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and with a Palestinian-American who became a suicide bomber in Syria for al Qaeda offshoot the Nusra Front, authorities said. 
 
&quot;We could hear him talking to 911 saying that the reason why he&rsquo;s doing this is because he wants America to stop bombing his country. From that conversation from 911 he pledges allegiance to ISIS,&quot; said Patience Carter, 20, who was trapped in a bathroom stall at the nightclub as Mateen prowled outside. 
 
LUCKY TO BE ALIVE 
 
Carter, from Philadelphia, read a poem to the media that she said she wrote to help her heal. 
 
&quot;Looking at the blood and debris covered on everyone&#39;s faces. Looking at the gunman&#39;s feet under the stall as he paces. 
 
The guilt of feeling lucky to be alive is heavy,&quot; the poem read. 
 
One official said investigators believe Mateen browsed militant Islamist material on the internet for two years or more before the shootings. 
 
Soon after the attack, Mateen&#39;s father indicated that his son had harboured strong anti-gay feelings. He recounted an incident when his son became angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami while out with his wife and son. 
 
US officials were investigating media reports that Mateen may have been gay but not openly so, and questioning whether that could have driven his attack, according to two people who have been briefed regularly on the investigation and requested anonymity to discuss it. 
 
The owner of Pulse, speaking through a representative, denied reports that Mateen had been a regular patron of the nightclub. 
 
&quot;Untrue and totally ridiculous,&quot; Sara Brady, a spokeswoman for club owner Barbara Poma, said in an e-mail when asked about the claim. 
 
Mateen&#39;s father, Seddique Mateen, told reporters his son had never mentioned being homosexual. &quot;I don&#39;t believe he was a whatever you call it,&quot; he said. 
 
Mateen&#39;s name was listed on an unclassified federal database for nearly a year from 2013 to 2014 after he allegedly told co-workers of sympathies he had with militants overseas, three federal officials familiar with the investigation told Reuters. 
 
He was removed from that so-called selectee list after the Federal Bureau of Investigation completed an investigation and concluded he had no connections with known militant groups.&nbsp; 
(Reuters)

She reportedly tried to talk him out of this plan but apparently drove him to the nightclub because he wanted to recce the spot

The wife of the gunman who killed 49 people at an Orlando gay nightclub knew of his plans for the attack and could soon be charged in connection with the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history, a law enforcement source said today. The source told Reuters that a federal grand jury had been convened and could charge Omar Mateen's wife, Noor Salman, by today. "It appears she had some knowledge of what was going on," said US Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which received a briefing on the attack on Tuesday. "She definitely is, I guess you would say, a person of interest right now and appears to be cooperating and can provide us with some important information," King told CNN. Mateen, who was shot dead by police after a three-hour standoff at the Pulse club early on Sunday, called 911 during his rampage to profess allegiance to various militant Islamist groups. Federal investigators have said he was likely self-radicalised and there was no evidence that he received any instruction or aid from outside groups such as Islamic State. Mateen, 29, was a US citizen, born in New York of Afghan immigrant parents. "He appears to have been an angry, disturbed, unstable young man who became radicalised," President Barack Obama told reporters after a meeting of the White House National Security Council. During his rampage, Mateen systematically made his way through the packed club shooting people who were already down, apparently to ensure they were dead, said Angel Colon, a wounded survivor. "I look over and he shoots the girl next to me and I was just there laying down and thinking: 'I'm next, I'm dead,'" he said. Mateen shot him twice more, one bullet apparently aimed for Colon's head striking his hand, and another hitting his hip, Colon said at Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he is one of 27 survivors being treated FoxNews.com, citing an FBI source, said prosecutors were seeking to charge Mateen's wife, Salman, as an accessory to 49 counts of murder and 53 counts of attempted murder and failure to notify law enforcement about the pending attack and lying to federal agents. NBC News said Salman told federal agents she tried to talk her husband out of carrying out the attack. But she also told the FBI she once drove him to the Pulse nightclub because he wanted to scope it out, the network said. A former wife of Mateen, who was a security guard, has said he was mentally unstable and beat her. The ex-spouse, Sitora Yusufiy, said she fled their home after four months of marriage. He also claimed solidarity with the ethnic Chechen brothers who carried out the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and with a Palestinian-American who became a suicide bomber in Syria for al Qaeda offshoot the Nusra Front, authorities said. "We could hear him talking to 911 saying that the reason why he’s doing this is because he wants America to stop bombing his country. From that conversation from 911 he pledges allegiance to ISIS," said Patience Carter, 20, who was trapped in a bathroom stall at the nightclub as Mateen prowled outside. LUCKY TO BE ALIVE Carter, from Philadelphia, read a poem to the media that she said she wrote to help her heal. "Looking at the blood and debris covered on everyone's faces. Looking at the gunman's feet under the stall as he paces. The guilt of feeling lucky to be alive is heavy," the poem read. One official said investigators believe Mateen browsed militant Islamist material on the internet for two years or more before the shootings. Soon after the attack, Mateen's father indicated that his son had harboured strong anti-gay feelings. He recounted an incident when his son became angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami while out with his wife and son. US officials were investigating media reports that Mateen may have been gay but not openly so, and questioning whether that could have driven his attack, according to two people who have been briefed regularly on the investigation and requested anonymity to discuss it. The owner of Pulse, speaking through a representative, denied reports that Mateen had been a regular patron of the nightclub. "Untrue and totally ridiculous," Sara Brady, a spokeswoman for club owner Barbara Poma, said in an e-mail when asked about the claim. Mateen's father, Seddique Mateen, told reporters his son had never mentioned being homosexual. "I don't believe he was a whatever you call it," he said. Mateen's name was listed on an unclassified federal database for nearly a year from 2013 to 2014 after he allegedly told co-workers of sympathies he had with militants overseas, three federal officials familiar with the investigation told Reuters. He was removed from that so-called selectee list after the Federal Bureau of Investigation completed an investigation and concluded he had no connections with known militant groups. (Reuters)

Police: Orlando shooter's wife knew about attack, may be charged soon

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