Grassley and Crawford Push for Review of Clinton Email Evidence After Six-Year Stalemate
In a move that can only be described as a political bombshell, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford (R-AR) have unveiled the existence of thumb drives brimming with unexamined material related to the Hillary Clinton email controversy—material that has been languishing in an FBI office since 2018.
Their letter, directed at FBI Director Kash Patel, demands an urgent review of these materials, which purportedly include sensitive intelligence, foreign communications, and damaging evidence linked to both the Clinton Foundation and former President Barack Obama. The implications are significant, and the public’s right to know is front and center.
In a concise post on X, Grassley emphasized the gravity of the situation: “Thumb drives containing unreviewed info on the Clinton email scandal & mishandling of highly classified info have been sitting at an FBI offshoot office since 2018. I sent a letter with House Intel Chair Crawford asking Director Patel to review materials & report back ASAP.”
Thumb drives containing unreviewed info on Clinton email scandal&mishandling of highly classified info hv been sitting at an FBI offshoot office since 2018 I sent a letter w House Intel Chair Crawford asking Dir Patel 2 review materials&report back ASAP
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) July 29, 2025
As detailed in a press release, these untapped and unexamined materials have remained in the FBI’s custody at a Northern Virginia offshoot of the Washington Field Office since 2018. This latest inquiry follows a previous effort by Chairman Grassley to declassify the appendix to the DOJ OIG’s June 2018 report on the handling of the Clinton investigation, a section colloquially referred to as the “Clinton annex.”
In their joint statement, Grassley and Crawford made it clear why they believe these revelations are crucial: “The revelations contained in the declassified OIG appendix are at the heart of why the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) became distrusted by so many under your agency’s prior directors: a failure to impartially conduct its law enforcement and intelligence mission. Concerning the issue at hand, Comey’s FBI shockingly failed to review and exploit evidence in its own possession, even though they admitted in written memos the information was necessary to conduct a ‘thorough and complete investigation.’ The FBI also failed to review and exploit other foreign intelligence information.”
They further stressed, “Therefore, we now write to stress the importance that this material be immediately dug out from hiding and properly assessed. How evidence which purportedly includes information related to ‘former President Barack Obama’s emails’ and ‘network infrastructure diagrams for U.S. government classified networks’ remained unreviewed by the preeminent law enforcement agency in the world is mind-numbing. We know you will not similarly ignore evidence in your agency’s possession, no matter where its exploitation or conclusions might lead.”
For those interested, the full letter sent to Kash Patel can be accessed below: