On Tuesday, a federal judge ordered that the search warrant that many have faulted for Hillary Clinton’s loss be unsealed. The warrant called for the investigation of emails between Clinton and aide Huma Abedin that were found on a laptop belonging to Abedin’s ex-husband, former Congressman Anthony Weiner. The document does not provide in detail what the FBI hoped to find, and the investigation ultimately turned up nothing. The warrant was approved by U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin Nathaniel Fox.
Many people have criticized the timing of the investigation by the FBI and the manner in which FBI director James Comey handled the investigation. He sent a letter to Congress two weeks before the election saying that the email investigation had been reopened. A few days later they concluded that no new evidence was found, but the damage to Clinton had been done. Despite winning the popular vote, Clinton lost the electoral college and the presidency. Clinton and her former campaign staffers blame Comey and the Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary for America chair John Podesta for their loss.
Read a copy of the warrant below or download a PDF copy HERE.
Hundreds Gather To Honor Suffragist Movement, Celebrate That Women Across The Country Are Voting Today For A Woman To Be President
Voting takes less time than ever, but there’s one place voters are guaranteed to wait in long lines: the grave of women’s suffragist leader Susan B. Anthony. Hundreds have visited the cemetery, which is holding extended hours tonight, to honor the movement to ensure half the population has the right to vote and celebrate that women across the country are voting today for a woman to be president.
ABC News: Voters Travel Near and Far to Pay Homage to Feminist Icon on Election Day: “One hundred and forty-four years ago, a woman named Susan B. Anthony was arrested for voting in a presidential election. Today, millions of women will cast their vote for Hillary Clinton — the first female presidential nominee for a major political party.”
USA Today: People are covering Susan B. Anthony’s grave stone with ‘I Voted’ stickers: “Many people smiled and laughed in delight at the occasion. Others wept. ‘I never cried when I filled out my ballot before. But I realized my daughters — and I have three of them — have the right to vote for a woman. It made my cry,’ said Jodi Atkin of Irondequoit, who trekked to the grave site with daughter Jessie. Both were clad in white, which many women chose to wear on Tuesday to honor those who, like Anthony, helped secure their right to vote.”
CNN: Hundreds flock to Susan B. Anthony’s grave on Election Day: “Brynn Hunt, a Rochester resident and first-time voter, was one of many to visit the site Tuesday morning. ‘I voted today because of women like her,’ she said. Hunt said she wore white in honor of women’s suffrage. Early Tuesday, hundreds of people began to form to thank Anthony for her efforts.”
CBS News: Steady crowds at Susan B. Anthony grave on Election Day: “A steady stream of people are arriving at Rochester’s Mount Hope cemetery, decorating Anthony’s grave with ‘I Voted’ stickers and American flags. Some are leaving yellow roses, which was a symbol of the women’s suffrage movement.”
New York Times: Voters Gather at Susan B. Anthony’s Grave in Rochester: “The line to the grave site grew throughout the day. By noon it had snaked and doubled back on itself through the orange and gold trees. The color of the leaves was reflected in the yellow flowers many carried or wore pinned to pantsuit lapels — the bright roses the suffragists took to symbolize their cause, which began in the 1840s and continued for 80 years. A woman moved among the stones with a hand drum looking to form a drum circle. Others knelt with their children and whispered about who Anthony was and who Hillary Clinton is.”
Sarah Maslin Nir: The scene at Susan B. Anthony’s grave. And it’s a scene. (video)
Katie Marino: After voting my mom & I visited Susan B. Anthony’s grave with hundreds of other people. Thank you, women’s voices are heard now. #IVoted
Tricia Fitzmaurice: A fitting tribute at Susan B. Anthony’s grave in Rochester today. We all owe her a thank you. #HistoryIsHappening #SenecaFallsSuffragists
Brynn Hunt: “I voted today because of women like her.” Today I voted in my first primary election, visited Susan B. Anthony’s grave, and wear white to honor women’s suffrage. We have come a long way since the 19th amendment was passed, but we still have a long way to go. I’m proud to say #imwithher
MaxbGenius: “Oh, if I could but live another century and see the fruition of all the work for women! There is so much yet to be done.” – Susan B. Anthony #vote #suffrage #equality #rochester
Jes Karakashian: This wraps around twice. I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life. #imwithher
FBI Director James Comey sent a letter to ranking members of Congress on Sunday with the bureau’s conclusions following an investigation into emails found on a computer owned by former Congressman Anthony Weiner. The emails were related to Hillary Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State. In his letter, Comey says that the FBI stands by its decision to not bring a case against Clinton and that the new emails yielded no new information. Comes said that “based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July with respect to Secretary Clinton.” Since the FBI announced it was looking into the emails last week, the Clinton campaign has maintained that there was nothing new to be found. News sources indicate that the majority of the emails found on the computer were duplicates of the emails already reviewed by the bureau. Read the full letter from the FBI director below or download a PDF HERE.
On Sunday, representatives for Hillary for America appeared a number of Sunday morning talk show. Tim Kaine was interviewed by George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s This Week, campaign manager Robby Mook was interviewed by Chuck Todd on NBC’s Meet the Press, and campaign chair John Podesta was interviewed by Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union. Each were asked about the FBI’s renewed investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails. Kaine called for FBI Director James Comey to release additional details about the investigation and questioned whether Comey had even seen the emails in question.
Mook said that while it seems the emails were discovered on a computer owned by former Representative Anthony Weiner, he is confident that there is no new information to be found and that Weiner’s wife, Clinton aide Huma Abedin, has cooperated with the FBI’s investigation. On CNN, Podesta called on Comey to explain the move adding, “This is something that has been tossed into the middle of the campaign. We would have preferred that that not happen, but now that it has happened, we would prefer that Mr. Comey come forward and explain why he took that unprecedented step.” Videos of the interviews are below.
On Saturday evening, Jennifer Lopez headlined a concert in support of Hillary Clinton in Miami, Florida. The event also included a performance by Marc Anthony. Lopez and Anthony performed a number of their hits for crowd. In between songs, the singers spoke about the importance of the election and electing Clinton president. Near the end of the concert, Clinton joined Lopez and Anthony on stage and urged everyone to vote on election day or to take advantage of early voting. She said, “We just heard Jennifer perform ‘Let’s Get Loud.’ Well, I say, ‘Let’s Get Loud’ at the voting booth. You can vote early. Don’t wait another day to vote.” A video clip of Clinton addressing the concert crowd is below.
On Friday, FBI Director James Comey sent a letter to a Congressional Judiciary Committee explaining that the FBI had decided to reopen the case investigating Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server during her tenure as Secretary of State. The three page letter did not go into much detail which lead the Clinton campaign to respond. Campaign Chair John Podesta released a statement calling on Comey and the FBI to release more information surrounding their reasoning considering the election is less than two weeks away. The statement from Podesta is below.
“Upon completing this investigation more than three months ago, FBI Director Comey declared no reasonable prosecutor would move forward with a case like this and added that it was not even a close call. In the months since, Donald Trump and his Republican allies have been baselessly second-guessing the FBI and, in both public and private, browbeating the career officials there to revisit their conclusion in a desperate attempt to harm Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
FBI Director Comey should immediately provide the American public more information than is contained in the letter he sent to eight Republican committee chairmen. Already, we have seen characterizations that the FBI is ‘reopening’ an investigation but Comey’s words do not match that characterization. Director Comey’s letter refers to emails that have come to light in an unrelated case, but we have no idea what those emails are and the Director himself notes they may not even be significant.
It is extraordinary that we would see something like this just 11 days out from a presidential election.
The Director owes it to the American people to immediately provide the full details of what he is now examining. We are confident this will not produce any conclusions different from the one the FBI reached in July.”
The FBI did elaborate later in the day saying that additional evidence related to the Clinton investigation was discovered on a laptop seized during the investigation of Rep. Anthony Weiner. FBI officials said that the bureau will investigate the newly discovered emails on the laptop and that it is possible that the emails could be duplicates of ones previously turned over by the Clinton camp. State Department officials said they have not been made aware of the FBI’s new evidence. More details are likely to be released in the coming weeks, but the news of a reopened investigation could affect Clinton at the polls.
Read the letter from Comey to Congress below (download the letter HERE).
UPDATE (10/28): Following an event in Des Moines, Iowa, Hillary Clinton spoke at a press event and addressed the issues of the FBI reopening its investigation. Clinton said that the FBI needs to release additional details regarding its investigation with the election being less than two weeks away. “Voting is underway, so the American people deserve to get the full and complete facts immediately,” she said. She said that she was confident that nothing new would be found and that she did not know what new evidence the FBI might be referring to adding, “Right now, your guess is as good as mine, and I don’t think that’s good enough.” A video of Clinton’s statement is below.
UPDATE (10/29):The Washington Post obtained a copy of an internal memo sent by FBI director James Comey to FBI employees. In the letter, he briefly explains his reasoning for taking the early details of an investigation to Congress. Read the letter below:
To all:
This morning I sent a letter to Congress in connection with the Secretary Clinton email investigation. Yesterday, the investigative team briefed me on their recommendation with respect to seeking access to emails that have recently been found in an unrelated case. Because those emails appear to be pertinent to our investigation, I agreed that we should take appropriate steps to obtain and review them.
Of course, we don’t ordinarily tell Congress about ongoing investigations, but here I feel an obligation to do so given that I testified repeatedly in recent months that our investigation was completed. I also think it would be misleading to the American people were we not to supplement the record. At the same time, however, given that we don’t know the significance of this newly discovered collection of emails, I don’t want to create a misleading impression. In trying to strike that balance, in a brief letter and in the middle of an election season, there is significant risk of being misunderstood, but I wanted you to hear directly from me about it.
Jim Comey
UPDATE (10/29): Hillary for America responded to the news with several press releases and a post on Medium from campaign chair John Podesta.
UPDATE (10/30): The FBI announced that it obtained a warrant to search the emails found on a laptop belonging to former Congressman Anthony Weiner. While it is unclear how many emails on the laptop, if any, are relevant to the Hillary Clinton email investigation, an official revealed that there are over 650,000 emails on the computer. It is likely that the majority belong to the former Congressman, but his wife, Clinton aide Huma Abedin, also used the laptop. FBI officials also revealed today that several lower level investigators knew the emails existed weeks ago, but only recently brought them to the attend of Director James Comey. It is also unclear why a warrant was received after Comey briefed Congress of the investigation on Friday.
Hillary for America campaign chair John Podesta and campaign manager Robby Mook have been on the defensive since the revelations were announced. The campaign released a video about the facts of the case and calling for more details to be released considering the timing. The video released by The Briefing is below.
UPDATE (10/31): Former Attorney General Eric Holder wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post in which he called FBI director James Comey “a good man,” but said that he made a mistake by telling Congress about evidence that may have nothing to do with the Hillary Clinton email case. In the editorial, Holder says, “The department has a practice of not commenting on ongoing investigations. Indeed, except in exceptional circumstances, the department will not even acknowledge the existence of an investigation. The department also has a policy of not taking unnecessary action close in time to Election Day that might influence an election’s outcome. These rules have been followed during Republican and Democratic administrations. They aren’t designed to help any particular individual or to serve any political interest. Instead, they are intended to ensure that every investigation proceeds fairly and judiciously; to maintain the public trust in the department’s ability to do its job free of political influence; and to prevent investigations from unfairly or unintentionally casting public suspicion on public officials who have done nothing wrong.” Read the full editorial HERE.
Following Donald Trump’s efforts to reach out to African American communities, Hillary for America released the following statements from African American leaders across the country.
After a campaign spent courting white supremacists and playing into misleading stereotypes about people of color, today in Detroit, Donald Trump addressed a predominantly African American audience for the first time.
While Trump can attempt to reach out to African Americans, he has proven to the community time and again that he is unfit to be president and he has no interest in working with the African American community.
National leaders are rejecting Trump’s scripted conversation and his staged outreach to the Black community.
“Whether he is embracing policies that preserve privilege for those at the top or spewing rhetoric that demeans Americans, Donald Trump has shown us that he wants to roll back the progress we have witnessed over the past eight years. Trump is running around the country riling up his supporters declaring that he wants to ‘take our country back.’ I have news for Mr. Trump, the hateful groups he has courted and now represents can never have this country again. We are moving forward together, and we refuse to allow him to take us back.” –Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D-MO)
“Donald Trump’s visit to Detroit is tantamount to a wolf visiting a sheep farm to lead a discussion on Let Me Be Your Leader To Greener Pastures. It is the old southern strategy of Nixon, Bush and Reagan, wrapped up in a new an un-improved version of divide and conquer the Black and moderate white votes. Let’s talk about law and order for you, bad economic times for you but no specific plan of action from me. He is talking over, around and through Black people but not to Black people. He should apologize, repent, re-align and retreat from his divisive non-Presidential behavior. We are all better than that.” –Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony, Detroit Social Activist
“Hillary Clinton has been a champion for the African-American community for decades. This year, she traveled to Flint to stand with us and let the country know that Flint’s crisis is a national crisis. In doing so, she showed us once again who she is: a proven leader who is committed to addressing the injustices African-Americans are subjected to in this country. Flint’s water crisis should serve as a reminder to Americans of what can happen when entire communities are ignored, left out and left behind. Donald Trump has a long history of turning a blind eye to the African American community. We are not fooled by this manufactured stop in Michigan. This is the same man who has talked down to us and falsely claimed that our entire community is poor, uneducated and unemployed. Donald Trump’s lack of concern for our community is yet another reason he is unqualified and unfit for the presidency.” –Mayor Karen Weaver, Flint, MI
“As the Bible says, beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. No matter how many times he attempts to reset, Donald Trump is still running the same race but with a pair of different shoes. There’s no doubt in my mind that this man who discriminated from the boardroom will take that same attitude to the White House. He has shown us who he really is and who he really cares about—and that’s not us.” –Rev. Marcia Dyson, Social Activist
“I have no room for conversation with Mr. Trump, until he first apologizes to the President and the entire African American community for attempting to delegitimize his presidency with regard to him being a US Citizen. If a person has no respect for an African American serving in the highest position in this country and world, then how can I believe that he has any respect for me?” –Bishop Charles Ellis, Detroit Faith and Community Leader
On Tuesday, Tim Kaine campaigned in Daytona Beach, Florida visiting Daytona State College. While at the school, he visited with employees before speaking to a crowd of supporters. During his speech, Kaine spoke about Hillary Clinton’s plans to create jobs, pass comprehensive immigration reform, and her plans to combat Zika virus. Kaine also took several shots at Donald Trump. He said that the 2016 election is about choice, “America gets to choose whether it gets a ‘You’re hired’ president or a ‘You’re fired’ president.” A video of Kaine’s speech is below.
Meanwhile, Hillary for America Senior Advisor for Digital Engagement Katie Dowd attended a fundraiser in Brooklyn, New York. The event was held at HFA headquarters and was hosted by Eron Bloomgarden, Margot Brandenburg, Ahadi and Anthony Bugg-Levine, Andrew Kassoy, Otho Kerr III, David Pollak, Jason Scott, Silda Wall Spitzer, Brian Trelstad, and Adam Wolfensohn.
Hillary Clinton Speeches 