Tipsheet

So, We Know How Comey Really Approached the Clinton Email Server Probe

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  July 21, 2025 3:00 PM

Everyone hates James Comey. 

Conservatives hate him for his role in the Russian collusion hoax, but also that absurd “86/47” social media post. In that ridiculous tale, Comey claims he saw some shells arranged that way while walking on the beach. The man has increasingly become more unhinged since he was fired by Donald Trump, almost ten years ago.  

Democrats hate Comey for shedding light on the Hillary Clinton email scandal, wherein the former secretary of state used an unsecured email server for all official government business—a big no-no—and it was later determined that classified materials were sent through that system. Foreign intelligence services also hacked it. What made it worse was not Comey, but Clinton's statement that it was allowed, only to have the State Department inspector general say that it was not; Clinton never inquired about it either. 

Well, maybe Democrats can forgive Comey a little (not really) because a new document dump from Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) showed that the fired FBI chief pulled punches while investigating the email server, failing to follow department procedures regarding the investigation. It’s not just Comey, either—the other two clowns in the mess, Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe and former FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok, are also named. A series of thumb drives given to FBI investigators from a source contained highly sensitive information that might have been germane to the probe. They never reviewed. Could it be because it would’ve roped in the Obama White House? 

Via the Federalist’s Sean Davis [emphasis mine]: 

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The DOJ OIG’s Clinton annex shows the FBI obtained thumb drives from a source during the Clinton investigation, but then-FBI Director James Comey, as well as then-Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, former FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok and others, failed to perform additional, targeted searches of the drives, even though they contained information relevant to the inquiry,” Grassley’s office notes. “The DOJ OIG report illustrates that the FBI failed to thoroughly and completely investigate the Clinton matter as a result, as well as vet the serious national security risks created by Clinton’s careless handling of highly classified information. According to the DOJ OIG, the thumb drives contained highly sensitive information exfiltrated from U.S. government agencies, including the Department of State, as well as then-President Barack Obama’s emails and, potentially, congressional information. The thumb drives were never reviewed as part of the Clinton investigation, contrary to the recommendation of a draft FBI memorandum. The DOJ OIG report also shows the drives should have been immediately reviewed for foreign intelligence purposes, but were not.” 

The primary source of Democrats’ hatred toward Comey stems from the rehashed email probe weeks before the 2016 election, after the bureau obtained State Department emails from Anthony Weiner’s laptop. The former couple shared this device. Weiner’s laptop was the subject of an investigation regarding his communications with an underage girl. During that review, investigators found emails Clinton had forwarded to Abedin through that device, which led to another review. It was an October surprise that Democrats didn’t want, but it didn’t impact the race; Clinton was going to lose anyway. 

Still, it’s another chapter in how the Obama administration weaponized intelligence and its related agencies to go after Trump. Barack Obama’s name keeps getting mentioned—it’s as if he’s the head honcho here.